The World Stroke Organization (WSO) and Singapore's SingHealth have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance efforts to develop best-in-class stroke care across Southeast Asia. 

The MoU aims to launch clinical service development, research, education, and advocacy initiatives focused on training and sharing best practices with hospitals in Southeast Asia, thereby improving the number and quality of certified stroke centres in the region.

Southeast Asia faces a particularly high incidence of stroke, and affects, on average, 1,300 people in every 100,000. 1 Despite this significant stroke burden, the access for patients in Asia to acute stroke care is limited, with access varying across different countries.2 This highlights a substantial gap in the availability of stroke care services.

Singapore has 9,000 new stroke cases every year, making it the leading cause of adult disability and the fourth leading cause of death. WSO is striving to improve stroke care globally through the Angels Initiative, a unique healthcare initiative supported by Boehringer Ingelheim, which helps hospitals worldwide and in the Southeast Asian region to improve stroke management practices, 

The WSO Angels Award was presented to Singapore General Hospital (SGH), a member of SingHealth  for providing excellent stroke care and going above and beyond in caring for its patients. The award recognises the efficiency measures, such as the duration of critical treatment and the availability of specific care in stroke units. 

Over 40 stroke care experts from the ASEAN region attended the in-person Angels' preceptorship programme to learn about SGH's processes in stroke management and participate in stroke patient pathway walks. The program was hosted by the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI) and is part of the Angels' capacity-building initiative aimed at exchanging best practices between global and regional stroke experts. As an enabling platform for global health activities across the SingHealth Duke-NUS Academic Medical Centre (AMC), SDGHI harnesses the strengths and expertise across the AMC to address current and emerging health challenges in Asia and beyond, including burdens of stroke.

“We are proud to receive recognition for our Stroke Programme, as the multidisciplinary team constantly works together to improve patient-centric care pathways for stroke patients. With the upcoming SGH Emergency Medicine/National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) building, specialised teams and facilities are brought even closer to further enhance treatment and provide faster access to care to optimise outcomes for acute stroke patients,” shared Associate Professor Prakash Kumar Manharlal, Head and Senior Consultant, Department of Neurology, NNI@SGH.

SingHealth, Singapore’s largest public healthcare cluster, with a network of acute hospitals, national specialty centers, polyclinics, and community hospitals offering over 40 clinical specialties, by delivering comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and integrated care.