New stroke support organisation (SSO),
National Stroke Aid, Zambia leads the way in home based care for stroke
survivors.
National Stroke Aid, Zambia has become the latest member of WSO. The SSO was founded at the beginning of 2019 by Mr. Phanuel Mabbola, a physiotherapist working in rehabilitation with stroke survivors. Phanuel recognised the extent to which stroke survivors are neglected or ignored in the city of Lusaka and he decided to establish a home based physiotherapy service. As well as physiotherapy, the service will also include healthy lifestyle education.
In Zambia,
stroke is a leading cause of death and disability and is increasingly affecting
a younger population, with hypertension the most common risk factor.
Although in
the course of his work Phanuel observed that people in the community know that stroke
is sudden and can happen to anyone at any time, prevention and managing risk
factors is less well understood. In addition, many stroke survivors have little
or no access to rehabilitation and recovery services.
Addressing
these needs is the primary focus of the newly established National Stroke Aid, which
will provide stroke awareness, healthy life style education and facilitate or
provide home based care to stroke survivors. The objectives of the SSO are:
·
To
help reduce the incidence rates of stroke through sensitisation of the
community on causes of stroke and educating society on the need for healthy life
styles
·
To
restore stroke survivors’ body functions through physiotherapy and provide
occupational and home based care
·
To
advocate for policy that includes stroke survivors’ empowerment, and
involvement in decision making institutions
·
To
organise workshops or seminars and hold social gatherings for capacity building
among the stroke survivors and the membership of organisation
National
Stroke Aid will draw its membership from the community, in particular those
that have been affected by stroke.
In January,
the Permanent Secretary of the Zambian Ministry of Health recommended National
Stroke Aid for registration as an NGO; recognising its role in complementing
government efforts to provide home based care to stroke survivors, and that the
organisation’s activities are in line with the National Health Strategic Plan.
We are
excited to welcome National Stroke Aid to the global SSO network and commend
Phanuel on his commitment to providing home based care.
