Indian neurosurgeon sees Bangladesh community health workers’ role in stroke management

A former president of India’s Neurological Society has said community health workers can play a role in the life-threatening stroke management in Bangladesh.

Prof RN Bhattacharya told bdnews24.com on Sunday in Dhaka that stroke was still a “partially neglected” disease.

“People are not aware of the disease and they do not pay as much attention as they pay to heart attack because they think stroke means the end of life. But this is not always true,” he said.

The senior neurosurgeon, who is the director for neurosciences at the AMRI Hospitals in Kolkata, came to Dhaka to attend the ‘Dhaka Neuroscience Summit’ held on Saturday. Stroke was the theme of the summit.

Anyone can suffer stroke any time, as there is no known cause of the disease.

Doctors say lifestyle, diet, smoking, and hypertension are some of the risk factors that can play a role in triggering stroke in which blood flow to an area of brain is cut off, causing cells to die.

When those cells die, abilities such as memory and muscle control which are controlled by that area of brain are lost, leaving the person incapacitated.

Then, Prof Bhattacharya said, family members often think they would not be cured.

“They keep them even at home for a day or two and then take them to the hospital. But they can regain their normal life if they are immediately taken care of.”

There is no statistics to suggest how much Bangladesh is burdened with cases of stroke. But doctors say they find an increasing number of patients with the rise in life expectancy.

Treatment facilities are also scant as only the big public hospitals and a specialised hospital in Dhaka can offer them. People sometimes have to travel a day to reach to a facility in Dhaka.

Prof Bhattacharya finds the role of community health workers in such cases.

He was also the head of department of the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Science and Technology (SCTIMST) in Kerala, an institute of national importance under the Indian government’s Department of Science and Technology.

“If we can respond immediately, then we can prevent many complications,” he said. “A trained health worker can immediately evaluate the condition of the patient. They can even help in transporting them in a correct way.”

He, however, said treatment sometimes never ends. “It has to be continued with rehabilitation. But people think there is nothing to do even after the treatment.”

“Basically we need a holistic approach. Family has also a role to play. Patients should not feel that they are unwanted. If they do, they will slip into depression.”

He suggested introducing health insurance and public-private partnership for ensuring treatment for stroke patients in developing countries.

“It is difficult for the government in developing countries to offer free treatment for all. Health insurance is the key to ensure their treatment and services”.