India has become the second country globally to incorporate Mobile Stroke Units with emergency medical services, aiming to improve treatment accessibility in rural areas. Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary of the Department of Health Research and Director General of ICMR, highlighted this development as the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) provided two Mobile Stroke Units (MSUs) to the Assam government. This initiative signifies a significant shift, eliminating the need for stroke patients in remote regions to travel to hospitals by enabling hospitals to reach the patients directly.
The integration of Mobile Stroke Units is part of an ICMR-funded project focusing on ‘Stroke Care Pathways’ in the region. Following the completion of the pilot phase, the ICMR donated these units to ensure continued prompt treatment for cerebrovascular emergencies among the people of Assam. Dr. Bahl emphasized that India has evaluated these units in challenging rural and remote terrains in Northeast India, making it the second country globally to successfully integrate an MSU with emergency medical services for treating acute ischemic stroke patients in rural areas.
Stroke, a leading cause of death and long-term disability in India, necessitates timely care within the critical golden hour. P. Ashok Babu, Secretary & Commissioner of Health in Assam, praised the handover of the Mobile Stroke Units, stating that it bolsters Assam’s emergency response system and guarantees the sustainability of this life-saving service under state ownership. The collaboration with ICMR has facilitated quicker treatment, enhanced coordination, and improved outcomes for stroke patients, laying a robust groundwork for future expansion.
Equipped with a CT scanner, teleconsultation capabilities with specialists, point-of-care laboratory services, and clot-busting drugs, the Mobile Stroke Unit functions as a mobile hospital on wheels, enabling early diagnosis and treatment of stroke either at the patient’s residence or nearby. The Northeast region bears a disproportionately high burden of stroke due to its challenging terrain, long distances, and limited access to specialized care, making timely treatment historically difficult. To address this issue, ICMR established a neurologist-led stroke unit at Assam Medical College & Hospital, Dibrugarh, and physician-led stroke units at Tezpur Medical College Hospital and Baptist Christian Hospital, Tezpur, integrating the Mobile Stroke Units into the pre-hospital stroke care pathway.
This model has significantly reduced treatment time from approximately 24 hours to about 2 hours, decreased mortality rates by one-third, and lowered disability rates by eight times, as reported by the Ministry.
