The University of Central Lancashire has been awarded £1.9m from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), to support further implementation of best practice stroke care in India. The three-year research project is led by the University and will be a collaborative effort with The George Institute for Global Health in Australia and India, Christian Medical College (CMC) in Ludhiana, clinicians from three hospitals across India, and other key colleagues in the UK, India and Australia.

The research is due to start immediately and will build on existing stroke unit care, implementing and evaluating best practice stroke care, and developing research that will not only help developing countries, but will inform implementation of best practice globally.

Stroke incidence in India is rising. The average age of people suffering a stroke in India is in the 50s, compared to the 70s in the UK. This is largely due to change in lifestyle of the population in addition to environmental factors such as poor living conditions, lack of health awareness and fragmented healthcare infrastructure.

There are currently around 50 dedicated stroke units in India. As part of this project, researchers will be working with existing stroke units at CMC, Ludhiana; AIIMS, New Delhi and SCTIMST Trivandrum. They will look to determine the most effective processes for stroke assessment, care, monitoring and therapy, as well as determining the most economical approaches to assessment.