On 29 November 2024, Angels team leader William Masih took an early morning flight from Mumbai to Mangalore. He was curious to see how Carewell Hospital in Kasaragod was implementing quality monitoring in their setup. And what could be the driving factor that lead to a hospital in this northernmost district of Kerala winning a WSO Angels diamond award?
As soon as he landed, his phone rang. It was a number he didn’t recognize. Wary of spam calls, William answered hesitantly. “Hello,” he said.
The person on the other end politely introduced himself as Mr Yaseen. “Hi sir, I am waiting outside the airport to pick you up. As our place is far from here, sir has told me to pick you up.” To William’s surprise, the Carewell stroke team had arranged a cab to collect him from the airport. They were waiting eagerly for the Angels team to visit their hospital and attend the WSO Angels Award felicitation ceremony.
After traveling for almost 2,5 hours from Mangalore airport, past seaside villages overlooking the Arabian Sea and south towards Kasagod, they reached the hospital.
The five-hour journey had stolen William’s sleep from the previous night, so he was a bit tired when he arrived at the hospital with Angels consultant Sonali Sahoo. But they were welcomed with lots of love and gratitude by the team of doctors who had helped the hospital develop and empower itself to earn the distinction of becoming the only hospital in the entire district to win a WSO Angels award. It was a moment filled with happiness and a great untold story that was waiting to be revealed!
The road less traveled
Dr Mohammed Shameem Kattathadka, out of his 100 cousins, decided to become a doctor during his childhood, inspired by his pediatrician, Dr. Yatheesan, who treated his acute otitis media (painful ear infection) when he was a kid.
Whenever he visited Dr Yatheesan, he felt the magic in the hands that relieved all his pain. Coming from a middle-class family where no one had ever dreamed of becoming a doctor, the path was never easy for Shameem. His family struggled to make ends meet, but they supported his dreams with unwavering faith and numerous sacrifices.
After completing his Doctorate of Medicine in Neurology at Government Medical College Trivandrum, Shameem decided to return to his hometown, Kasaragod, to serve his community. Kasaragod district, which borders Mangalore to the north and Kannur to the south, relied heavily on these neighbouring cities for healthcare. Before the COVID-19 era, the city even lacked basic infrastructure like round-the-clocl access to a CT scan.
The pandemic brought a turning point. The trauma of 14 patients dying in ambulances during the COVID-19 crisis, unable to cross sealed borders for treatment, was a heartbreaking wake-up call. The policy makers felt a deep sense of responsibility and urgency. The grief and frustration of those days fueled their determination to bring about change.
A team takes shape
In 2022, a true healthcare revolution began. Shameem decided to start his journey serving community where he was born. “There could not have any better place to start the work,” he says.
“Forming a team was a big challenge so I started my conversation with the local people as they are emotionally connected with me and the hospital. Dr Jayadev Kangila, MD Medicine, was like a family member to me, so it was bit easy for me to convince him about the stroke project.”
It is a challenge for patients to reach the hospital inside the 3,5 hour treatment window, so the hospital team must be on their toes to offer treatment in time, Dr Shaheem says. “I believe it is the basic human right of a poor patient who struggled to reach us within the window period and who could make it.”
With Dr Kangile’s help they were able to create their own stroke team and within a year were joined by the excellent neurosurgeon, Dr Pavaman. In order to empower his team with the essential skills, Shaheem reached out to Angels consultant Shahad Ali.
“I had gotten to know the Angels Initiative during my residency at Trivandrum Medical College,” he says. “Shahad was really a great resource. He helped us with capacity building programs and essential trainings including NIHSS.”
Measure to improve
Since the start of the program the recanalization rate at Carewell Hospital in Kasaragod has improved to 20 percent, and their door-to-treatment time to a world-class 30 minutes. They also collaborate with corporate social responsibility groups throughout the city to help grow stroke awareness and knowledge so patients will seek help sooner.
Now, Dr Shaheem says, they want to expand their capacity for excellence so they can provide a service to the entire population of Kasargod and to neigboring states where higher numbers of stroke patients are experienced.
Starting to work with Rohan Gouri (Angels team leader for South and Northeast India) was another turning point, Dr Shaheem says.
“Rohan introduced us to quality monitoring and RES-Q, which turned out to be exactly what my team and I were looking for. We registered on RES-Q without delay. The team understood all the key points and we implemented the checklists in our emergency department.”
They haven’t looked back, Dr. Shaheem says. “Our team is fully charged and we own our responsibilities.”
Spark of inspiration
The WSO Angels Award is testimony to the sheer dedication and great work done by his team, and to his mentors who placed their trust in him and helped him give substance to to this dream, Dr Shaheem says.
“We now have state-of-the-art infrastructure and have implemented code 77 for stroke. Our strict protocol and our impeccable neurosurgery team helped us accomplish a surgical intervention for a patient who had traveled a distance of 400 km to our hospital, and we are looking forward to installing a 1.5 T MRI and cath lab facility for future patients.
“More than 150 stroke patients are admitted to our hospital per month and we have never failed to treat a patient who reached us within the window period. We believe in serving all out patients with quality and an ethical approach.
“We further believe in developing a culture of collaboration where all medical facilities, whether public or private, join hands for a single cause – to deliver the best possible care to our patient. And together with other dedicated professionals, we are prepare to work tirelessly to improve the healthcare infrastructure in Kasaragod.”
The stroke team of Carewell in Kasaragod has faced numerous challenges with an unshakable resolve. The community has rallied together, driven by the shared pain of their losses and their hope for a better future.
Today, Kasaragod stands as a testament to their efforts, with improved facilities and a renewed sense of hope.
The journey was arduous, but the transformation brought a sense of pride and healing to the community. Dr Shameem’s story is one of resilience, compassion, and the unwavering belief that even the smallest spark of inspiration can ignite a revolution.
