Ukraine

In Ukraine, medical professionals, government officials and public authorities gathered to show their support to the joint ESO and SAFE initiative aimed at reducing the burden of stroke in Europe. In May 2021, a national press conference was held on the occasion of the signing by the Ministry of Health, National Health Service and the Ukrainian Anti-Stroke Association of the Declaration on the Implementation of the European Stroke Action Plan (SAP-E) in Ukraine.

You can read the full report here.

A video statement by Prof Yuriy Flomin, National SAP-E Coordinator in Ukraine can be found here.

Catalonia

In the Spanish region of Catalonia, a SAP-E Implementation Committee was formed in 2020. Miquel Gallofré, Research Trustee of the Catalan Stroke Foundation (Fundació Ictus), initiated the group. From the beginning, there was consensus that the Stroke Action Plan for Europe would require a wide diffusion and high commitment of all parties involved.

The Implementation Committee therefore unites members from the Steering Committee of the Catalan Stroke Programme and members of the Council of Patients of the Stroke Foundation. In addition, representatives of the health care sector such as hospitals, rehabilitation services and nurses are involved as well as the stroke register and research institutions.

This local implementation committee is endorsed by the SAP-E Steering Committee and will gather regularly to coordinate the individual implementation actions for Catalonia based on the tasks for the National Coordinators.

ICTUSnet – Southwest of Europe

The multi-disciplinary and transnational network ICTUSnet is a consortium of ten partners, gathering together healthcare and research institutions from public and private domain. It represents regions of the Southwest of Europe (Aragon, Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Navarra, Occitania and North of Portugal), covering a population of approx. 20 million people.

ICTUSnet has the mission to create a network of collaboration between the different regions, formed by patients and professionals from different areas related to stroke and, at the same time, to create research infrastructures that incorporate innovative data analysis technologies to improve stroke care systems and subsequently reduce the impact of the disease on the population.

The project was awarded by Interreg Sudoe Programme, which is financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

ICTUSnet is pursuing several work plans of which one aims to transfer the acquired knowledge obtained to all relevant decision-making stakeholders. This involves the development of an action plan and recommendations to improve the efficiency, inequity and quality of stroke care services.

As these objectives are shared with the Stroke Action Plan for Europe, Prof Diana Aguiar de Sousa, member of the SAP-E Steering Committee and Member at Large of the ESO Executive Committee, was appointed to accompany the implementation activities and roadmap of ICTUSnet to keep it aligned with the SAP-E.

Further information on the project can be found here.