In a major milestone in the treatment of stroke patients, the first comprehensive private sector Emergency Acute Stroke and Rapid Evaluation Center has opened in Imo State, Nigeria. The Center is the result of a cooperation between Regions Stroke and Neuroscience Hospitals, Labrad Diagnostics Center, and Regions Stroke and Epilepsy Foundation. It is equipped with innovative technologies from GE HealthCare (www.GEHealthCare.com) and is designed to help save lives and improve patient outcomes.

Globally, stroke is a leading cause of death and disability. More than 10 million new stroke cases were reported in 2019 alone, contributing to a total of over 100 million people living with stroke worldwide [1]. In Nigeria, a country with over 200 million people, stroke was the second leading cause of death and disability from a non-communicable disease. Hospital-based studies in Nigeria between 2004 and 2021 reported 30-day case fatality rates ranging from 21% to 40%.

Proper acute stroke care is critical to survival and achieving favorable functional outcomes in patients. At the Center, patients will be rapidly evaluated and diagnosed with state-of-the-art GE HealthCare technology including a 32-slice CT scanner, C-arm, ventilators, anesthesia machines, multimodality patient monitors, ultrasound for echocardiography and carotid assessment, capable of performing multi-modality acute stroke imaging. The Center also has an in-house laboratory, trained stroke neurologists, and critical care and stroke nurses.

This regional project brought global collaborators together to develop the strategy, design, and execution of the facility, including operations and processes, with one goal in mind: better patient care for stroke victims across Nigeria, West African region, and the continent.

Dr. Benjamin Anyanwu, MD, Regions Stroke and Neuroscience Hospital said, “This health facility was built, with patient care as the focus. The team worked tirelessly to complete the project on time. With this Center, we are able to bring treatment to Nigerians at home, helping to decrease mortality rates due to stroke and improve lives of stroke patients.”

Dr. George Uduku, General Manager West Africa, GE HealthCare said “The Center will enable critical healthcare services in a remote area; GE HealthCare’s involvement supports our strategy in Africa to bring the care right to the patient, helping doctors and practitioners to diagnose, treat and monitor and save lives.”