More than 1,000 cases of acute stroke cases are seen at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), annually. Stroke patients will soon have a world-class integrated rehabilitation facility with the opening of Qatar Rehabilitation Institute (QRI) , according to experts.
“One crucial aspect of stroke care is rehabilitation. Due to the prevalence of risk factors such as diabetes, smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, the incidence of stroke in Qatar is rising. Each year, more than 1,000 acute stroke patients are admitted to HMC and many of these patients require long-term rehabilitative care to help them recover,” said Dr Wafaa Al Yazeedi, Acting Chairperson of the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, Rumailah Hospital.
The key feature of an acute stroke is that it starts suddenly and without warning, often damaging critical parts of the brain that control muscle strength, movement and coordination. When the blood supply to the brain is suddenly cut off due to an acute stroke, damage to these areas of the brain can lead to a loss of function and coordination in various parts of the body.
“The primary aim of stroke rehabilitation is to enable the patient to relearn the motor skills they have lost due to the stroke. HMC’s expert rehabilitation teams work together by setting individual patient goals to overcome challenges and find innovative solutions that noticeably improve patient recovery,” said Dr Al Yazeedi.
“The rehabilitation process for patients at HMC begins as early as possible, often 24 to 48 hours after the stroke has occurred. It is important to start the patient’s recovery process as soon as possible to give them the best chance of recovery,” she noted.
Stroke patients, here, will soon benefit from the opening of the QRI in Hamad Bin Khalifa Medical City. The ground-breaking new facility will provide patients with world-class integrated rehabilitation services, including specialist stroke recovery.
Multi-disciplinary teams of physicians and occupational, physical, paediatric and speech therapists will work together to offer advanced stroke and traumatic brain injury treatments and services.
These cutting-edge services and treatments will be tailored to each patient’s individual needs. For stroke patients, one of the services that will be offered is intensive gait training to help patients walk again. Additionally, QRI’s strength and endurance services will focus on helping patients’ neurologic, muscular, bone and joint recovery to help them regain their independence.
All through October and November, HMC stroke teams have been actively raising awareness of the signs, symptoms and risk factors of stroke in recognition of World Stroke Day, which was marked on October 29. The international theme for World Stroke Day 2016 – ‘Face the facts: Stroke is treatable’ – aimed to highlight the significant medical advances that have been made in the treatment and care given to stroke patients. World Stroke Day 2016 recognises that although stroke is a complex medical issue, there are ways to significantly reduce its impact.
