‘The number of stroke patients rising in Pakistan’

LAHORE : Leading neurologists of the country have emphasised the government must play its role in eliminating stroke that is considered as the second major cause of disability and death in Pakistan.

These views were shared by neurologists on the first day of the 9th National Stroke Conference that kicked off here in Lahore on Saturday in which neurologists from all over the country participated and shared their experiences to treat stroke patients. The national conference on stroke was jointly organised by the Pakistan Stroke Society and the Pakistan Society of Neurology with a theme that “Stroke is Treatable.”

A special workshop was held during the opening day of the conference in which an expert from the UK, Mrs Paula Brooke, imparted training to 50 master trainers nurses of Pakistan, who will further train nurses at different stroke centers of the country. The nurses were trained for the handling of stroke patients in the ICU and emergency because nursing care is one of the most important aspects during the treatment of a stroke patient. Moreover, over 60 rescuers of Rescue 1122 were also given training by an expert from Qatar, Dr Naveed Akhtar, who gave a detailed briefing to the paramedics and rescuers regarding the transfer of a patient to a stoke center in an efficient way as recognizing a stroke patient timely is also very crucial.

President of Stroke Society of Pakistan and one of the leading neurologists Prof Qasim Bashir said, “We are 20 years behind the modern world in treating stroke patients and the government must play its role in facilitating us to establish modern and well-equipped stroke centers in Pakistan. Since we have no updated data in Pakistan on stroke patients but according to a research in 2010, there were 3.5 lakh stroke patients in Pakistan and 44m in America at that time. In America, the figure has decreased to just 8 lakh now but here in Pakistan the number of stroke patients is rapidly increasing.”

He added that a life saving drug that helps in dissolving the clot isn’t available in Pakistan despite the fact that it plays a key role in treatment of a stroke patient. “The drug in America has been available since 1996 but here in Pakistan the government is not registering it that is a major hindrance to the treatment,” he added.

Dr Ravi Shankar from Karachi said that first 4.5 hours are very crucial for a stroke patient and they can be survived if reach a trauma centre within the time otherwise their chances of survival are very low. He also stressed establishing well-equipped stroke centers in the country. President of Pakistan Society of Neurology Prof Nasrullah said that there were only six neurologists when he started his medical practice but the figure had increased very much since then but the neurologists should be given funds and equipment to treat the patients through modern techniques. Professor Nadir Ali Syed from Karachi, Dr Ali Hashmi of KEMU, Prof Athar Javed of KEMU and Prof Naeem Kasuri were also present on the occasion.