SAUDI ARABIA—Boehringer Ingelheim has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Saudi Arabia to expand its Angels Initiative telestroke services through the Seha Virtual Hospital.
This collaboration aims to improve stroke management and health outcomes for stroke patients in the Kingdom, addressing the growing prevalence of strokes.
This partnership follows Boehringer Ingelheim’s recent launch of its antifibrotic medication, Nintedanib, in Qatar to treat conditions like idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and progressive fibrosing interstitial lung disease (PF-ILD).
The MoU was signed on 21 October 2024 during the Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh, a key event that brings together healthcare professionals and innovators from around the world.
The initiative seeks to address stroke rates in Saudi Arabia, where the prevalence is 43.8 per 100,000 people.
This statistic is influenced by limited public awareness about stroke risks and symptoms. The partnership builds on an earlier agreement in 2022, where Boehringer Ingelheim introduced telestroke services in 11 hospitals across the Kingdom.
The goal is to help hospitals become “stroke-ready,” enabling faster and more effective treatment for stroke patients.
In line with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the expanded collaboration will further integrate Boehringer Ingelheim’s telestroke services into the Seha Virtual Hospital, enhancing access to stroke care.
The partnership will also focus on critical areas such as training healthcare professionals, raising public awareness about stroke risks, and creating a Stroke Registry to track patient data and improve care quality.
The MoU was signed by Khaled bin Nayef Al-Obaiwi, Operations Manager of the Secondary and Tertiary Command Center at the Ministry of Health, and Abdallah Hamed, General Manager and Head of Human Pharma at Boehringer Ingelheim, during a ceremony attended by several prominent healthcare leaders.
Speaking during the signing, Khaled bin Nayef Al-Obaiwi stressed the importance of this partnership, noting the rising stroke incidences in Saudi Arabia due to factors such as an aging population and lack of awareness.
He emphasized that timely intervention is crucial in reducing stroke-related complications and saving lives.
Abdallah Hamed, from Boehringer Ingelheim, expressed enthusiasm for expanding telestroke services through the Seha Virtual Hospital, ensuring that more patients across the Kingdom can access specialist care.
He also highlighted the partnership as a key step toward improving patient outcomes and supporting Saudi Arabia’s healthcare goals under Vision 2030.
This collaboration highlights the vital role of public-private partnerships in advancing healthcare and improving patient care across Saudi Arabia.
Through the Angels Initiative, Boehringer Ingelheim is working to establish a global network of stroke-ready hospitals, reducing treatment delays and enhancing stroke care worldwide.
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