HANOI, July 25 — Four public and private hospitals in Malaysia and a Malaysian neurologist have won multiple awards from the World Stroke Organization (WSO) for excellence in stroke care.
At the WSO Global Stroke Alliance 2025 regional ministerial meeting yesterday in Hanoi, Vietnam, Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital (HRPZ II), Tuanku Ja’afar Seremban Hospital (HTJS), and KPJ Ipoh Specialist Hospital were awarded either the WSO Angels Awards or the EMS Angels Awards.
WSO Angels Awards are a global initiative to recognise hospitals and stroke centres that demonstrate excellence in stroke care. These awards—granted in Gold, Platinum, or Diamond (best) status—are based on adherence to evidence-based stroke treatment protocols, the speed and quality of care provided to stroke patients, and the implementation of continuous improvement practices.
EMS Angels Awards acknowledge outstanding performance by emergency medical services (EMS) teams in delivering pre-hospital stroke care. These awards recognise EMS systems and personnel who demonstrate speed, accuracy, and consistency in identifying stroke symptoms, initiating appropriate triage protocols, and transporting patients to the right facilities in a timely manner.
SGH, represented by medical services director Dr Ngian Hie Ung, received WSO Gold status and EMS Diamond status for the first quarter (Q1) of 2025.
HRPZ II, represented by neurologist Dr Rose Izura Abdul Hamid, received WSO Diamond status for Q1 2025.
HTJS, represented by ER physician Dr Emi Noorina Mohd Nor, received WSO Platinum status and EMS Diamond status for Q2 2024.
KPJ Ipoh Specialist Hospital, represented by consultant neurologist Dr Ang Chong Lip, received WSO Diamond status for Q1 2025.
SGH, HRPZ II, and HTJS are government hospitals under the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Sarawak, Kelantan, and Negeri Sembilan respectively, whereas KPJ Ipoh Specialist Hospital in Perak is a private hospital.
The EMS awards for SGH and HTJS were for the public hospitals’ pre-hospital care teams.
Malaysia Stroke Council chairman Assoc Prof Dr Hoo Fan Kee, who is also a consultant neurologist and physician at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Hospital (HSAAS) Universiti Putra Malaysia, won the WSO Spirit of Excellence Award 2025.
Dr Hoo established the first Malaysia Stroke Conference and the Malaysia Stroke Academy. “His transformative efforts to strengthen stroke care in Malaysia include developing national stroke guidelines, expanding the number of stroke-ready hospitals, and public awareness education,” according to the Angels Initiative website.
“This recognition is not just for me, but for everyone in Malaysia who worked tirelessly to improve stroke care—neurologists, emergency physicians, nurses, rehab teams, and especially the Angels Initiative for their support,” Dr Hoo told CodeBlue.
“One key contribution I’d like to highlight is addressing the shortage of neurologists in Malaysia by empowering non-neurologist physicians, especially those in emergency and internal medicine, to manage acute stroke, including delivering thrombolysis in stroke-ready hospitals.
“Given that we have fewer neurologists to serve the public hospitals in the entire country, this task-sharing approach has been critical to expanding access to timely stroke care. Through the Malaysia Stroke Council and in collaboration with the Angels Initiative, I’ve led efforts to train and support these frontline doctors via the Malaysia Stroke Academy and Malaysia Stroke Conference.
“This strategy has led to a sharp rise in the number of stroke-ready hospitals, improved door-to-needle times, and increased thrombolysis rates—helping save lives and reduce disability on a national scale.”
Door-to-needle time (DTNT) is the time between hospital arrival and intravenous thrombolytic therapy (IVT) administration for patients with acute ischemic stroke.
Dr Ang said KPJ Ipoh Specialist Hospital, which won a WSO Diamond award, provides acute stroke management to rehabilitation, including the use of robotics in the private hospital’s rehab (physiotherapy and occupational therapy) services.
He dedicated the hospital’s award to all staff, highlighting in particular his colleagues from the ambulance service, emergency department, the intensive care unit (ICU), high-dependency unit (HDU), and ward staff.
“And last but not the least, a big thank you to my fellow colleague Datuk Dr Zakaria and Sister Baldip. I hope we can continue to improve and be even better in future,” Dr Ang told CodeBlue.
