Friday, 17 December 2010 16:36

By Shahfizal Musa
Pix by Saliman Leman

KUALA LUMPUR 17, Dec. 2010 – The tendency by those getting stroke attacks to seek alternative treatments from bomohs or sinsehs rather than at hospitals, with proven clinical treatments, at the outset have become a big challenge to doctors.

Deputy Minister of Higher Education Dato’ Dr. Hou Kok Chung said it was only when their conditions worsen will the patients be brought to a hospital for treatment.

This had posed an onerous challenge to doctors because treatment especially for stroke attacks are effective only when they can get early medical attention and treatment, he said when officially launching the Kuala Lumpur Regionalised Integrated Stroke Intervention Strategic Systems ( KRISIS) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) in Cheras here yesterday.

KRISIS is a comprehensive stroke care management system to ensure that those getting stroke attacks can get the best of expertise available in modern medicine.

Dr Hou gave various statistics from WHO to show why the public should take stroke attacks seriously. He said “One out of six persons will become a victim of a stroke attack at least once in his life. And in every 6 seconds a person will die because of stroke and it is not age sensitive. In Malaysia it is the fifth highest cause of death in hospitals.

“What is worrying is that the disability as a result of a stroke attack have a great impact socially and economically as well as physiologically, not only to the patient but the family, community and country,”  he said.

He outlined six steps set by The World Stroke Organisation to increase its awareness. These are:

1. Knowing your own risk factors: blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol levels,
2. Physically active doing frequently exercises,
3. Counter Obesity with healthy diet,
4. Reduce alcohol intake,
5. Avoid from smoking or from becoming second hand smoker, and
6. Know the early signs of stroke and what to do.

He commended UKMMC for setting up KRISIS for the benefit of stroke patients.

KRISIS is a system providing services of doctors from various disciplines. The team of specialists are not housed in one place but will be activated once there is a stroke patient. They will then come together to treat the patient.

The Deputy Dean (Graduate Studies and International Affairs) Prof Dato’ Dr Raymond Azman Ali who is also Chairman of KRISIS, said since its establishment in 2007 it had already treated more than 500 patients.

Following its establishment, UKMMC has also been able to provide stroke reversal treatments to those suffering stroke attacks by dissolving blood clot in the brain.

The launching of KRISIS was followed by a two day seminar themed “A KRISIS Solution for KRISIS at hand: A call for action to improve stroke care in Malaysia” where participants from all over the country discussed their experiences in treating stroke patients.

Also present at the launching was Deputy Dean (Clinical and Intensive Care) of the Medical Faculty, UKM Prof Dr Jaafar bin Md Zain.