{"id":114377,"date":"2025-10-31T19:09:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T19:09:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-advocate-specialized-stroke-units-amid-rising-cases"},"modified":"2025-10-31T19:41:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T19:41:30","slug":"experts-advocate-specialized-stroke-units-amid-rising-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/experts-advocate-specialized-stroke-units-amid-rising-cases","title":{"rendered":"Experts Advocate Specialized Stroke Units Amid Rising Cases"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Imagine waking up unable to speak, see clearly, or move, struck suddenly by a stroke. Medical bills pile up, your job may be gone, or if self-employed, savings and property are drained. Stigma and life-changing challenges follow, all from a condition that could have been prevented.<\/p>\n

On September 7, 2020, Faustin Ndayishimiye, then a Data Manager at a health centre in Kirehe District, travelled to Nyamata, Bugesera District, for a training session. That week, he recalls, the workload was overwhelming.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was overworked. I had to compile and submit data for HIV patients, maternal and child health, and general reports. The system was slow because it was used nationwide, yet deadlines were tight,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI went almost a week without sleeping, as I had to attend training and ensure to work on reports at nighttime.”<\/p>\n

On the morning of September 11, while brushing his teeth, he began to feel strange.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe toothbrush fell from my hand, my voice was faint, and one leg felt weak,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knocked on the door to call for help, and luckily, a cleaner who was near the apartment I was in found me and called others who helped me to wear clothes and get me the bike to the training venue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even if nurses attended the training, they could not recognise the signs of a stroke.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne nurse thought I was drunk and joked about me drinking early in the day,\u201d Ndayishimiye said. \u201cIt was painful because I could not speak well to explain.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trainers later took him to Nyamata Hospital, and he was later referred to Rwanda Military Hospital and then to CHUK.<\/p>\n

\u201cI cried like a child when I could not move my arm,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n

After a month in Kigali, Ndayishimiye was transferred to Gahini District Hospital to continue treatment closer to home.<\/p>\n

\u201cTransport alone cost about Rwf 20,000 for a round trip. It drained my savings,\u201d he said. \u201cAfter six months, I tried to return to work, but I was too weak. Eventually, I was dismissed.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Anny Salama Murekatete, a resident of Nyamirambo Sector in Nyarugenge District, suffered a stroke while caring for her six-month-old baby. She spent three months in a coma.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I woke up, I could only breastfeed from one side,\u201d she said. \u201cAt work, I was dismissed immediately, despite all my efforts before I fell sick. My insurance was cancelled.\u201d<\/p>\n

She described how her life changed drastically. \u201cUsing the toilet was a challenge, and the cost of pampers, medicines, and transport was unbearable. Stroke pushed me into poverty,\u201d Murekatete said.<\/p>\n

In 2016, Joseph Rukelibuga, now President of Stroke Action Rwanda, woke up one morning feeling unusually thirsty. \u201cWhen I tried to stand, one side of my body was paralysed,\u201d he said. His wife noticed that his face looked different and rushed him to King Faisal Hospital.<\/p>\n

He reached the hospital within an hour, but diagnosis was delayed.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting MRI results took about nine hours, and even then, the cause wasn\u2019t clear,\u201d he said. \u201cThe next day they did more tests. At that time, stroke care was still limited.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rukelibuga, who was already living with diabetes and hypertension, spent six days in hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfterwards, I began physiotherapy and slowly recovered. It took six months to regain basic movement,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Today, he acknowledges progress. \u201cMRI services are faster, and more stroke survivors are identified and treated. But we still need specialised stroke care units to fast track treatment in the hospitals, as seen in some countries,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He also pointed to gaps in rehabilitation. \u201cMany patients are discharged before full recovery and lack access to neurorehabilitation, speech therapy, or occupational therapy,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

According to Dr Leon Pierre Rusanganwa, the Health Programme Coordinator at the Private Sector Federation (PSF), prevention and awareness are key.<\/p>\n

\u201cStroke awareness is vital to saving lives. People should remember the signs: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, and Time to act \u2014 known as F.A.S.T.,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Dr Rusanganwa emphasised that prevention starts with lifestyle choices. \u201cManage blood pressure, exercise regularly, and eat healthy. Employers can promote wellness by offering health screenings and encouraging physical activity,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He also pointed out PSF\u2019s initiatives: \u201cWe have a Health Desk for disease prevention and a Health Protection Scheme for those who cannot afford other insurance. Through partnerships with Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), Rwanda Workers’ Trade Union Confederation, Ministry of Public Service and Labour, and Rwanda Social Security Board, we promote workplace wellness.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that public-private partnerships could support stroke units, mobile clinics, and rural outreach, while insurance companies and tech firms could drive innovation in early detection and care.<\/p>\n

Speaking during Rwanda\u2019s commemoration of World Stroke Day on Wednesday, October 29, under the theme \u201cEvery Minute Counts: Let\u2019s Act Together and Fast Against Stroke,\u201d Dr Franc\u0327ois Uwinkindi, Head of the Non-Communicable Diseases Division at RBC, said early treatment makes a crucial difference.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen stroke patients receive timely care, they can recover fully and walk again. Delayed treatment often leads to disability or death,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He explained that stroke kills one in two patients, and two out of three survivors live with disabilities. Dr Uwinkindi urged greater awareness to counter misconceptions that stroke is caused by witchcraft or poisoning.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople should rush to hospital immediately after noticing symptoms,\u201d he said. \u201cRegular exercise, blood pressure checks, and proper management of diabetes can reduce stroke risk by up to 30 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n

RBC\u2019s 2022 report indicates that stroke-related deaths in Rwanda escalated from the seventh position in 2009 to the third in 2019, becoming a significant cause of mortality, representing 5.1 per of total deaths.<\/p>\n

It indicated that in light of that, Rwanda anticipates implementing the \u2018Act FAST\u2019 campaign, a public health initiative aimed at raising awareness about the signs of stroke and the importance of acting quickly, in 13 districts to control 12,685 cases of hypertension, a major risk factor for stroke, per year.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. Imagine waking up unable to speak, see clearly, or move, struck suddenly by a stroke. Medical bills pile up, your job may be gone, or if self-employed, savings and property are drained. Stigma and life-changing challenges follow, all from a condition that could have been prevented. On September 7, 2020, Faustin Ndayishimiye, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":114376,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,30],"tags":[474,5389,3013,758,2112],"class_list":["post-114377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","tag-health","tag-ncds","tag-rbc","tag-rwanda","tag-stroke"],"yoast_head":"\nExperts Advocate Specialized Stroke Units Amid Rising Cases - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Imagine waking up unable to speak, see clearly, or move, struck suddenly by a stroke. 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