Dr. Duodu (second right) in a group photo with staff of Holy Trinity Medical Centre
As medical practitioners and key stakeholders within the health sector prepares to celebrate the 2019 edition of the World Stroke Day, the Holy Trinity Medical Centre, a leading health facility in Ghana has taken the lead in building awareness about the management of acute stroke.
With stroke reportedly being the number one killer disease in Ghana and the second killer disease globally, Holy Trinity, one of Ghana’s premier health facilities, deemed it necessary to bring to the fore, discussion on the management of stroke.
On Friday October 18, 2019, the Medical Centre, rallied doctors and other health practitioners in Accra, to share ideas on new trends in the management of stroke globally, with Dr. Fiifi Duodu from the Stroke Unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, serving as the lead resource person for the evening engagement.
This year’s main global theme for SAFE’s campaigning work is: Life After Stroke, the issues around it and how the stroke survivors and their families are coping with it.
The campaign covers this year’s European Stroke Awareness Day in May and will culminate on October 29, for the World Stroke Day, when SAFE will announce the next big project.
The World Stroke Organisation‘s campaign this year is dedicated to Prevention.
Dr. Duodu during a presentation, said, “stroke is typically associated with a neurological deficit caused by an acute focal injury of the central nervous by a vascular cause, including cerebral infarction, intracerebral haemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage.”
He said stroke has been with mankind since time immemorial and that its definition has changed over the ages.
Referencing research reports, he indicated that stroke was the number one cause of disabilities around the world.
According to him, stroke was the number one killer disease in Ghana and the second killer disease globally.
He mentioned hypertension as the leading cause of stroke, saying about 79 percent of stroke has hypertension as the underlying cause.
According to him, men, persons of black descent, and the aged, were more at risk of stroke.
He noted also that depression, stress, eating of junk foods, obesity, smoking, drinking, and dental problems, pose risk of stroke.
He observed the need for medical practitioners to understand the sound management of stroke.
When it comes to stroke management and prevention, Dr. Duodu noted, time and speed were key.
He encouraged hospitals in Ghana to create stroke units, lamenting that majority of stroke patients were dying at home.
Getting a stroke unit means getting staff who are willing to work, he noted.
BY Melvin Tarlue