IHW Council holds 3rd stroke summit
Noting that an overwhelming 60 per cent of people suffering stroke in India face various degrees of disability, some lifelong, lawmakers, policymakers, and medical experts have highlighted the lack of enough specialists and availability of treatment, especially in the interior parts of the country to reduce such cases. Speaking at the third edition of Stroke Summit organised by Integrated Health & Wellbeing (IHW) Council on the occasion of World Stroke Day, they also emphasized on the need to promote interventions such as mechanical thrombectomy (MT) to save patients beyond golden hour.
“We need to prevent disability caused by stroke by making treatment available to the affected. To that end, tehsil and district level hospitals with stroke care capability are being established. The Ministry will consider proposals to prevent or help people who suffered disability due to stroke. I will also write to the Union Health Minister to ensure stroke treatment is available everywhere,” says Shri Ramdas Athawale, Minister of State, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India.
“In India, about 30 per cent of people suffer various degrees of disability. We need to ensure they get treatment,” says Prof. M V Padma Srivastava, Head, Neurosciences Centre, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.