Stroke units in the works

The Health Ministry is planning to open 17 stroke units at public hospitals specializing in the emergency care of patients who have suffered a cerebrovascular accident (CVA).

“This intervention is expected to reduce mortality rates and increase the chances of patients who have suffered a stroke to be functionally independent once they leave hospital,” the head of the Hellenic Neurological Society and vice president of the European Stroke Organization, Dr Giorgos Tsivgoulis, told Kathimerini, welcoming the initiative that was announced on Wednesday.

According to the ministry, in Greece, 11,300 people die and some 14,000 are left with a disability from a total of roughly 57,000 CVAs a year.