Primary stroke centres set up in 15 hospitals

LAHORE:The Punjab government has established Primary Stroke Centres (PSCs) in 15 hospitals in the Punjab province to provide Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) to stroke patients.

The Specialised Healthcare & Medical Education Department (Technical Wing), Punjab, has notified that the institutions for establishment of Primary Stroke Centres (PSCs) under the Initiative ofc SIMS, Lahore, committed to provide round-the-clock services of intravenous tPA Thrombolysis for stroke patients.

The institutions to establish Primary Stroke Centres include Services Hospital, Mayo Hospital, Punjab Institute of Neurosciences, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital and Jinnah Hospital in Lahore, Allied Hospital, Faisalabad, Nishtar Hospital, Multan, Allama lqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital, Sialkot, Shaikh Zayed Hospital, Rahim Yar Khan, Holy Family Hospital, Rawalpindi, DHQ Teaching Hospital, Gujranwala, DHQ Hospital, Sheikhupura, DHQ Hospital, Kasur, DHQ Hospital, Narowal, and Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur.

These centres will be responsible for providing free tPA to stroke patients. If the patient arrives at one of these centres within 4 to 5 hours of the onset of stroke, and receives tPA successfully within the recommended timeframe, then up to 94 per cent of patients are likely to recover from stroke.