Stroke Survivors Day 2025: SASNET-Ghana, Other Health NGOs urge Government to prioritize Health Care delivery and invest to improve patient outcomes

Today, 16th March, 2025, the Stroke Association Support Network-Ghana (SASNET-Ghana) is proud to join forces with the Neurology Society of Ghana, NCD Alliance Ghana/Ghana NCD Alliance, Vision for Accelerated Sustainable Development (VAST Ghana), Stroke Health Professional Associations in Ghana, World Stroke Organization, African Stroke Organization, World Heart Federation, World Patient Alliance, WHO CSO Commission, stroke survivors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals across Ghana to commemorate the 5th National Stroke Survivors Day.

5th NATIONAL STROKE SURVIVORS DAY 2025 – A CALL ON THE NEW GOVERNMENT TO PRIOTIZE AND ALIGN OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM WITH GHANA’S RESETTING AGENDA FOR BETTER PATIENT OUTCOMES

Stroke Association Supportnetwork-Ghana (SASNET-GHANA) a national non-for-profit Organization that operates across all the regions of Ghana. The Organization is a member of the World Stroke Organization, World Heart Federation, World Patient Alliance, World Hypertension League, African Stroke Organization, and the NCD Alliance Ghana, and has a consultative status with the United Nation since 2020.

National Stroke Survivors Day is commemorated annually on March 16th to promote the rights of persons with stroke, caregivers and stroke health professionals and advocate for an improved health care delivery and post discharged support (Life After A Stroke) for all persons affected with strokes and their families. The day aims to raise awareness about stroke, its signs, and risk factors, as well as support stroke survivors in Ghana ².

The Day, National Stroke Survivors was instituted by the Stroke Association Support Network-Ghana (SASNET-Ghana) with support of the Ministry of Health and other partners , Prof. Albert Akpalu President of the Neurology Society of Ghana, Ghana NCD Alliance and other Stroke and Health Professionals Associations in Ghana who are focused on campaigning to raise awareness, supporting stroke survivors, and advocating for policy changes to improve stroke care delivery and the provision  of Assistive Technology to those in need of them.

The theme for this year 2025 National Stroke Survivors Day (NSSD202) event is ’Rehabilitate, Reintegrate, Renew: Renew Enhancing Stroke Care through Primary Health Care, Towards Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development’.

This year’s theme is aligned with the President of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama’s agenda of making primary health care accessible for all persons,

Ghana’s Universal Health Coverage Agenda, the Sustainable Development Goals and the National Policy Non Communicable Disease , 2022 , session 3.1.2 ,Secondary and Tertiary Prevention with emphasis on Rehabilitation, thus, I  quote’ This policy shall seek to promote and bring together appropriate measures to enable persons with disabilities including stroke (emphasis mine) to attain and maintain their maximum independence, full physical, mental, social and vocational ability, and their inclusion and participation in all aspect of life through the implementation of activities aimed at improving the availability and access to modern rehabilitation facility, including orthotics and prosthetics, gadgets, capacity building in the procurement, distribution, installation, use and maintenance of the rehabilitation equipment and the provision  of support, counselling and therapy service to restore and to compensate lost function, unquote.

The observance of the 5th National Stroke Survivors Day today 16th of March, 2025 is an opportunity to highlight the importance of stroke prevention, gaps in Ghana health care system with respect to stroke care delivery, provision of Assistive Technology to those in need of them,  timely treatment, adequate  patient to multidisciplinary team (multidisciplinary team manage and treat stroke) ratio, access to quality treatment and services, post discharge support, community based rehabilitation, use of rehabilitation robotics and support for survivors and their families.

Over 71,985 cases of stroke were reported across the country between 2021 and 2023 according to the Non Communicable Disease Control Programme of the Ghana Health Service, being the leading cause of deaths and disabilities in Ghana. According to the, World Health Organization WHO, in 2020, 15,163 people died from stroke in Ghana, which was 8.67% of the total death.

Stroke is considered a significant public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa and Ghana due to its impact on quality of life, (Attakorah et al, 2024) Stroke severity is the key predictor of long-term mortality after an index stroke in Ghana, regardless of the underlying pathophysiologic mechanism (Sarfo, et al, 2022).

Stroke constitutes a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Ghana. Major efforts are needed in the prevention and treatment of stroke. Population-based health education programs and appropriate public health policy need to be developed (Agyeman et al, 2022). Instituting acute stroke systems of care to facilitate timely reperfusion efforts may greatly improve long term survival outcomes after stroke in SSA (Sarfo, et al, 2022).

8 Key Action demands from government of Ghana, Ministry of Health, Ghana,:

Invest in Stroke Care Delivery/Health Care System: Provide each regional hospital with CT scan and MRI machines for early detection and treatment of stroke.

Train Healthcare Professionals: Invest in the training of neurologists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, audiologists, clinical psychologists, stroke nurses, and social workers, etc in the attainment of WHO patient to doctors /other health professionals ratio.

Rehabilitation Robotics: Invest in the training, purchase and use of rehabilitation robotics to improve patient outcomes.

National Policy on Assistive Technology: Support the development of a National Policy on Assistive Technology for Ghana in the provision and effective management of AT such as wheelchairs, walkers, etc.

Community-Based Rehabilitation Centers: Support the effort by the Stroke Association Supportnetwork-Ghana in the establishment community-based rehabilitation robotics centers across the 16 regions of Ghana with aim to make rehabilitation service more accessible to persons living disability at the community level.

Expand National Health Insurance Scheme: Cover all physiotherapy sessions for persons living with stroke under the National Health Insurance Scheme.

Support for Persons with Disability: Include persons with disability in the Government’s LEAP livelihood program to support those who are incapable of working.

Government should enforce the policy mandating public and private institutions to modify their facilities to make it accessible via ramps, lifts, etc to enable easy access for persons with stroke/disability.

“We believe that every stroke survivor deserves access to quality healthcare and rehabilitation services, as well as government providing all the needed support for stroke health professionals to deliver quality and patient centered service“ said Sir Ad Adams Ebenezer, Executive Director of SASNET-GHANA.

We urge the Government of Ghana to prioritize health care delivery especially stroke care and invest in initiatives that improve patient outcomes’.

Join us in advocating for better stroke care in Ghana. Together, we will rebuild the lives of those affected with Stroke, indeed there is LIFE AFTER A STROKE

Ad Adams Ebenezer 

Rehabilitation Expert and Global  Patient Advocate, Secretary, African Stroke Organization, Vice Chair Ghana NCD Alliance, WHO CSO Communication and Advocacy WG member 

Executive Director, SASNET-Ghana

+233594989495/+233202985960

ad.adams@sasnetghana.org sasnetghana@gmail.com