Stroke can be a devastating event, not only for the victims, but also for their families, friends, work colleagues, and
carers. The burden of stroke in terms of absolute numbers and number of disability adjusted life years (DALYs) is
increasing worldwide and is impacting health services on a global scale. Despite an earlier reluctance to prioritize
stroke as a health issue, authorities are now starting to realize that provision of organized stroke care does make
a difference to patient outcomes and long-term implications of stroke, including the economical consequences.
International guidelines recommend that acute stroke patients should have access to organized services, including priority
emergency services, a pre-notification system to the receiving unit, rapid assessment and imaging protocols, and expert
stroke care. Where this is not available, telemedicine facilities should be in place. Sadly, these guidelines are not met in
many regions of the world. In part, this is due to…