Rs 8 crore stroke centre at Jogeshwari gives suburbs a healthcare boost

In a major boost to patientcare for those suffering from brain strokes aneurysms and bran bleeds the civicrun Hindu Hruday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray Trauma Centre in Jogeshwari recently got a worldclass Digital Subtraction Angiography DSANeuro Vascular laboratory with an attached fivebed ICU The centre was put to use just a few days ago however it will take a few more months for it to be available round the clockThe centre also capable of handling any paediatric neurovascular problems making it the first peripheral hospital in the suburb to have a stateoftheart facility This at reasonably lower prices than private hospitalsThe corporation has spent over Rs 8 crore towards setting up the laboratory The DSA laboratory also has an inbuilt CT scan as an additional featureAll its machines are imported from Germany and the team has been trained on the job with expertsIn addition the trauma centre already has a team of 1012 doctors and nursing staff headed by neurosurgeon Dr Shradha Maheshwari to run the DSA labConfirming the development Dr Pinakin Gujjar Dean of Cooper hospital who is also in charge of the trauma centre said We are sure that the DSA lab will be of much help to stroke patients and during other neurovascular emergencies KEM and BYL Nair hospitals are the only two civic centres to have this facility and they are already overburdened with patientsSpeaking to midday Dr Maheshwari said Though the centre was inaugurated only in September we have gradually started admitting patients with a known history of neurovascular issues as the centre would take at least two to three months more to be fully functionalShe added Recently stroke became the second most common reason for deaths And October 29 is celebrated as World Stroke Day to spread awareness among people about strokes and the importance of early identification which can prevent major damage to the brain If treated within the golden hour it can even reverse the damageThe attached fivebed ICU is a major advantage for the trauma centre which other hospitals dont have The entire second floor of the trauma centre has been converted into the Comprehensive Stroke Unit Dr Maheshwari said The centre has so far treated 1012 patients through careful planning Neurosurgeons opine that developing countries like India are facing the double burden of communicable and noncommunicable diseases Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability in India The estimated prevalence rate of stroke is over 200 per 100000 in rural and over 400 per 100000 in urban areas Stroke units are predominantly available in urban areas that too in private hospitals Stroke rehabilitation is not well developed in India due to lack of personnel Organised rehabilitation services are available in the country but they are mainly in private hospitals of the citiesExperts speakDr PP AshokHead Department of Neurology PD Hinduja Hospital MahimThis is the need of the hour Usually time is wasted in diagnosing strokes and often the patients relatives misunderstand the gravity of the problem Therefore we always request public to be aware and insist on remembering the acronym FAST where F stands for Facelook for facial changes A for Armweakness in hand or leg S is for Speechany difficulty in speaking and if these symptoms are visibly clear Ttime to act and rush the patient to the nearest hospital Timely medical intervention can reverse the effects of a strokeDr Vernon VelhoHead of the Department of Neurosurgery Grant Medical College and Sir JJ Group of hospitalsIt is a very good initiative taken by the civic corporation Patients can be treated faster at peripheral hospitals Shifting to tertiary centres wastes time On average per day at JJ hospital we get around three to four patients with neurovascular problems The only way to curtail stroke is to have blood pressure and diabetes under control a change in lifestyle is also recommendedCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates