CMC Ludhiana Principal elected as Vice-President of WSO

Nov 29, 2018, 10:36 AM

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death

Ludhiana: 29th November 2018: (Punjab Screen Bureau)::

Stroke or Brain attack is one of the leading causes of death and disability in the world. World Stroke Organization (WSO) is the world’s leading organization in the fight against stroke. WSO has more than 4000 individual members and over 60 society members from 85 different countries. The mission of WSO is to reduce the global burden of stroke through prevention, treatment and long-term care.

Dr Jeyaraj D Pandian, Principal of Christian Medical College (CMC) Ludhiana was recently elected as the Vice-President of WSO. In the WSO Board meeting which was held last month in Montreal, Canada, Dr Pandian took up this position. He is the first Neurologist from Asia Oceania region to be elected to this highly influential post. Dr Pandian said that in India there are 1.7 million new cases in a year, and 22% to 42% of these patients die within 1 month. In a survey done in urban Ludhiana in 2013, Dr.Pandian found a very high proportion of stroke patients (25%) in the city who were below 45 years of age.

Dr Pandian had earlier completed two terms as a board of director in WSO from 2008 and he served as a Chair, and also as a member in several committees with WSO. Dr Pandian has done research widely on stroke thrombolysis and stroke infrastructure in developing countries. Dr Pandian was the Co-chair of the World Stroke Congress 2016 held in Hyderabad, India. Through this position Dr. Pandian aims to develop stroke care services in South Asia, south East Asia and Africa. He is going to represent WSO in a major global policy meeting being organized by World Health Organisation (WHO) regarding use of medical technologies in stroke.

It is a matter of great honor for Ludhiana for the state of Punjab, and India that he has been elected as the first Asian at such a high post of WSO. Said Dr. William Bhatti, Director CMC, congratulated Dr. Jeyaraj Pandian for this achievement. Dr. Anil Luther, Medical Superintendent said that its matter of great pride and inspiration for the doctors in Punjab and Ludhiana to aspire.

Dr.Mahesh Kate, Head of Neurology added that the Stroke Unit of CMC Ludhiana has been providing state of the art clinical services in this region for more than 10 years. Recently the department added a new facility Neurointerventional Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) lab. Stroke patients who reach within 24 hrs can benefit from removing the clot in the brain using a stent. Dr. Kate added, CMC is the only such center which provides care which is focuses from prevention, treatment and rehabilitation in the region. Dr.Anirudh Kulkarni, Neurointerventionalist at CMC Ludhiana stated that stroke patients if they reach on time will be able to avail this new facility and treatment.

Global Bill of Rights for Stroke Patients and Carers

Wed, Sep 18, 2013 at 11:19 AM
Face-to-face meeting on 20th September in Vienna

                                                                                                                                                                        Courtesy Photo

Ludhiana, 18th September, 2013:(Shalu Arora and Rector Kathuria):Stroke or brain attack is the second leading cause of death. More than two-thirds of the deaths due to stroke occur in developing countries like India. In Ludhiana alone every year 140 new cases of stroke occur for a 1 lakh population.  Twenty five percent of the new stroke cases in Ludhiana are below 49 years of age which is highest in the country.

File photo

DrJeyaraj D Pandian, Professor and Head of Neurology at CMC Ludhiana stated that about half of the patients with stroke are left disabled.  Stroke in a young patient will lead to devastating results like loss of job, income and finally poverty. In our country there is no social support for the stroke survivors.
DrPandian who chairs the World Stroke Campaign of World Stroke Organization (WSO) said that the WSO has taken an initiative to develop a stroke survivor/carer Global Bill of Rights. Six stroke survivors and one carer from the following countries are lending their support to WSO: Australia, Brazil, India, Norway, Singapore, South Africa and the United States. The first face-to-face meeting of the core group will be held on 20th September in Vienna, Austria along with the 2013 World Congress of Neurology.
From India, DrJeyaraj D Pandian through the World Stroke Campaign will be overseeing the development of the Bill. MsShefali Chopra, Manager, Tata Motors Limited, Ludhiana will be representing India in the core group. Dr Erin Lalor, CEO of National Stroke Foundation of Australia will be leading the discussions.

Ms Chopra in her statement mentioned that “It is a really a great initiative by WSO and it will be beneficial for people living in developing countries. There is lack of awareness of stroke in our country.  My mother suffered stroke and we got it recognized after 48hours and by that time her vision got hampered. The best part is that WSO is taking inputs from stroke survivors and carers across the world and hence the final bill would cater to the actual needs of the patients particularly in developing countries.” 
Dr Pandian added that the Bill will cover the rights of stroke patients in acute care, prevention, rehabilitation and long term care including social support. This Global Bill of Rights will be used across the world to improve the awareness of stroke and also to influence the policy makers.