One Brain & One Heart

23 Jun 2025 Stroke awareness

Dr. Baasansuren, co-founder of One Brain & One Heart, a new WSO stroke support organization member, shares the the background of stroke in Mongolia and the organization's mission.

Mongolia faces a critical public health crisis. The top two causes of death—coronary heart disease and stroke—together cause over 43% of all deaths nationwide [1].

In 2020 alone, stroke claimed 4,401 lives, representing nearly 20% of total deaths. Stroke also affects Mongolians at a relatively young age and with devastating outcomes—nearly 50% of stroke patients in Ulaanbaatar die within a month, and more than two-thirds are either deceased or severely disabled within 90 days [2].

Despite this, Mongolia has significant potential to improve care. With strengthened regional capacity, better training, and public awareness, many lives can be saved—and disabilities prevented.

Why Stroke and Heart Attack Care Must Improve

Geographic isolation: Mongolia’s vast territory and sparse population—it is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world—make it extremely difficult for patients in rural and remote areas to reach centralized hospitals within the time-sensitive treatment window.
Untapped regional potential: Mongolia has five Regional Diagnostic and Treatment Centers that are staffed with qualified neurologists, cardiologists, and have essential equipment. However, due to a lack of regular training and coordinated stroke/heart attack protocols, these centers often transfer patients to Ulaanbaatar, causing delays that result in higher death and disability rates.
Low public awareness: Many people do not recognize the early warning signs of stroke or heart attack or understand the urgency to seek help—delaying critical care.
Limited resources: As a lower-middle-income country, Mongolia faces structural and financial constraints that make it difficult to implement national-scale improvements in emergency care [3].

Who We Are

One Brain & One Heart is a newly established, non-profit, non-governmental organization launched in 2025. It is led by a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, public health professionals, hospital leaders, and stroke survivors united by one mission: To improve stroke and heart attack care across Mongolia—starting in the regions that need it most.

Our 6 Strategic Goals

To reduce preventable deaths and long-term disability, we are implementing a national initiative focused on six high-impact strategies:

Delivering continuous medical training for EMS and hospital staff—through in-person sessions and regular online education.
Creating an online doctor community for efficient and accessible clinical knowledge-sharing.
Implementing telestroke services so regional hospitals can access expert advice when every minute counts.
Expanding the number of stroke-ready hospitals, especially in regional diagnostic centers and underserved areas.
Collecting and analyzing national stroke and heart attack data to guide clinical and policy decisions.
Launching public awareness campaigns to help communities recognize symptoms and take action fast.

On-the-Ground Progress

In June 2025, our team completed its first field training trip to Uvurkhangai and Bayankhongor provinces. We provided hands-on stroke and emergency care training to local clinicians and held planning meetings with hospital leadership and regional training teams. These visits built critical relationships and laid the foundation for scaling up regional capacity across the country.

References

World Life Expectancy (2025). Mongolia – Country Health Profile. https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/country-health-profile/mongolia
Banzrai, C. et al. (2023). Incidence and outcomes for stroke in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, during 2019–21: a prospective population-based study. The Lancet Global Health. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(23)00052-1/fulltext
World Bank (2024). Mongolia Country Overview. https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/mongolia

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