Farooq Azam Rathore, Mohammad Wasay.
Acute stroke care and long term rehabilitation in Pakistan: Challenges and solutions.
J Pak Med Assoc Jan ;66(10):1203-4.

Stroke is the leading cause of death worldwide and a major contributor to long-term adult hood disability. Acute stroke care and long-term rehabilitation has improved substantially in the developed countries in the last three decades.1 Although Pakistani healthcare system has evolved over the years, but the management of stroke both in the acute and rehabilitation phase remains sub-optimal.2 The awareness of general public and even general practitioners regarding signs and symptoms of an impending/ evolving stroke is inadequate.2,3 This results in loss of precious time in which patient can report to the hospital and get urgent medical attention. Absence of qualified neurologists and dedicated stroke units make it difficult to offer good acute stroke care as per the established protocols at most of acute medical care facilities in our country.2 There are only two hospitals in our country which offer thrombolytic therapy (tPa) for a patient having acute ischaemic stroke.

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