India Becomes 2nd Country Globally To Deploy Mobile Stroke Units For Rural Care

India becomes the second country in the world to successfully integrate Mobile Stroke Units with emergency medical services for treating rural acute stroke patients, as the Indian Council of Medical Research on Thursday handed over two such units to the Government of Assam. The move is expected to significantly strengthen emergency healthcare delivery in the Northeast, where difficult terrain and long travel times have often delayed life-saving treatment. Data from the programme shows that Mobile Stroke Units have cut stroke treatment time from nearly 24 hours to just two hours, reduced deaths by one-third and lowered long-term disability eightfold.

The Mobile Stroke Units are fully equipped hospitals on wheels, fitted with CT scanners, teleconsultation links with neurologists, point-of-care laboratory facilities and clot-busting drugs, allowing patients to receive diagnosis and treatment at or near their homes.

Speaking at the handover, Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research and Director General of ICMR, said India's experience has global significance. He said Mobile Stroke Units were first developed in Germany and later evaluated in major global cities, and that India is now the second country globally to report successful integration of such units with emergency medical services for treating rural acute ischemic stroke patients.

Stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability in India, with experts warning that nearly 1.9 billion brain cells are lost every minute when treatment is delayed. The Mobile Stroke Unit model addresses the biggest challenge in stroke care that is the time taken for patients to reach a stroke-ready hospital.

According to ICMR, between 2021 and August 2024, the units responded to over 2,300 emergency calls. Trained nurses screened 294 suspected stroke cases, with nearly 90 per cent of patients treated directly from their homes. Integration with the 108-emergency ambulance service expanded coverage to a 100-kilometre radius.

The Mobile Stroke Units are part of a broader stroke care network in the region, which includes a neurologist-led stroke unit at Assam Medical College and Hospital in Dibrugarh, and physician-led stroke units at Tezpur Medical College Hospital and Baptist Christian Hospital.

Assam Health and Family Welfare Secretary and Commissioner P. Ashok Babu said the handover would ensure continuity of the service under state ownership. He said the collaboration with ICMR has enabled faster treatment, better coordination, and improved outcomes for stroke patients, and provides a strong foundation for future expansion.

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