Stroke Survivors day 2020 – “Leaving No One Behind in terms of access to treatment, rehabilitation and support for Persons Living With Stroke (PLWS) in Ghana”

Nearly 15000 people living across Ghana currently are living with Strokes or have experienced some form of stroke being mild, severe or transcient ischemic attack (TIA) in their lives.

SASNET GHANA and partners welcomes the 3rd National Stroke Survivors Day 2020 (NSSD2020) a call to leave no on behind in terms of access to treatment ,rehabilitation and support for persons living with Stroke and their carers. The national Stroke Survivors day (NSSD) is an annual national day for persons living with Stroke or whom have had a stroke and their carers. The event is held on 16th of March every year purposely to raise public awareness about the prevention and treatment of stroke and to seek for the rights of persons living with Stroke in Ghana.

According to the World Stroke Organization (WSO) and the Global Burden of Disease report (GBD), 80 million people are currently living have experienced a Stroke globally. 60% of the people who have experience Stroke are under the age of 70 years and 10% of the people currently living with stroke are under the age of 44years. Out that figures, 49% of the people currently living with stroke are men and 51% are women. It is estimated that ,116 million years of healthy life are lost each year due to Stroke related deaths and disability.

Unhealthy life style practices such as physical inactivity, tobacco smoking, excessive alcohol in take, stress and
present medical conditions, ie, High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, high blood cholesterol, obesity (an increase body mass index)
Atrial fibrillation, family history of stroke could lead to a stroke and increase the numbers of persons living with Stroke in Ghana if drastic actions are not taken immediately. Disabilities due to stroke could be minimize if we all as a country learn to recognises the early signs of stroke and make use of the Stroke FAST test which is aimed to identify stroke, when someone is
having a stroke. If is proven that most people recovers well, when we act fast and seek medical treatment from stroke at the hospital.

Persons Living with Stroke have the right to receive the best stroke care and information,
support in recovery and integration and they (Survivors) must be meaningfully involved in all aspect of life.

Stroke Association Supportnetwork-Ghana(SASNET GHANA) and the network of Persons living with Stroke in Ghana are calling on the Government of Ghana to honor the commitment to enroll persons living with Stroke on the PLWS- Leap, implement the Global Stroke Bill of Right
Policy ,a policy aim to support and improve the lives of Persons living with Stroke in Ghana and support SASNET GHANA initiative to construct stroke center in communities where access to
rehabilitation support is a challenge for Stroke Survivors as part to achieve the set targets fort he Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and the SDGs# 3 ,Good Health and well being and calls for the launching of the National Non Communicable Disease Policy documents for the country. On our part as Ghanaians, we must all give the kind support ,respect and dignity to persons living with Stroke. Indeed there is life after stroke.

For more information:
Ad Adams Ebenezer
Executive Director SASNET GHANA
Fellow of the World Stroke Organization (WSO)
Secretary SC, African Stroke Organization
[email protected]
+233(0)555886912 www.care.sasnetghana.org
[email protected]