KATHMANDU: More than 50,000 people suffer from stroke every year in the country.

Outgoing President of Nepal Stroke Association, Dr Raju Poudel, presented this fact while talking to RSS on the occasion of World Stroke Day.

The World Stroke Day is being observed even in Nepal today under the slogan ‘Every Minute Counts’. Poudel shared that one person suffer from stroke in every 10 minutes in Nepal.

He opined, “Stroke occurs when blood circulation to any party of the brain is blocked. A lack of oxygen and nutrients can cause the artery to become obstructed, leading to a stroke.

” The Nepal Stroke Association was established in 2017 to find out current situation of stroke in Nepal and measures taken for its treatment and it has been organizing various programmes for this purpose.

International standards are being set for the treatment of stroke. The Association has been collaborating for treatment of stroke with University Hospital Heidelberg in Germany.

Similarly, in collaboration with GIZ and World Health Organisation, the Association has been working related to stroke. Saying one-third people, of the total number of people who suffer from stroke, lose their lives, Dr Poudel stressed that the government should pay special attention to prevent it.

“There is possibility of paralysis in one, out of every four persons, and one person is every three seconds in the world. So all should be aware of it,” he added. Around 12 million people in the world have been suffering from stroke every year. Of them, 50 per cent died from it. Dr Poudel underlined that it is essentials for the government to pay attention on time as the rate of stroke is high in least-developed and developing country like Nepal.

Around 15-20 per cent people who have stroke die in Nepal. High blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, inactive lifestyle, unbalanced diet are some of the reasons to lead to stroke, he argued.