Every 30 minutes in South Africa a stroke patient who could have been saved, dies or is permanently disabled because they were treated at the wrong hospital.

Prof Ronel Pretorius, an associate professor and programme manager for clinical education at the North-West University (NWU), was recently recognised for her instrumental role in creating awareness and sharing the best practices of treating stroke patients.

She received the Spirit of Excellence Award from Angels Initiative, an organisation working towards creating quality stroke-ready hospitals and centres.

The Spirit of Excellence Award is presented to individuals who embody excellence in stroke care in their dealings with patients, other members of the hospital team, and those who strive to raise the standard of excellence in hospitals.

“It was a great surprise when I found out that I was receiving the award; it shows that my contribution has been worthwhile,” says Prof Pretorius.

Working towards greatness

Prof Pretorius has been an immense supporter, partner and advocate towards improving stroke treatment since the inception of Angels Initiative in 2016. She partnered with the organisation on the NWU Stroke/Stemi Initiative that was piloted in Tshepong Hospital in Klerksdorp.

She says that strokes are the second leading cause of mortality in South Africa, and the first three to four hours from the onset of symptoms are extremely crucial in assisting patients. “With this project we have been training doctors and nurses to identify, diagnose and manage strokes in patients. This year we also trained paramedics,” says Prof Pretorius.

She adds that they are looking forward to rolling out similar projects to the rest of North West in the near future. Next year Angels Initiative also plans to train community members to recognise the signs and symptoms of a stroke.

To better equip nurses, Prof Pretorius has integrated large portions of the Angels Initiative material on acute stroke management into the curriculum for third-year nursing students at the NWU. “I hope there will be a number of stroke-ready hospitals that are accessible to everyone in the next few years,” she concludes.

During the award ceremony are Renathe van der Merwe, Angels Initiative key account manager, Prof Ronel Pretorius and Carica Combrink, Angels Initiative national project manager.