Doha, 12 November 2024: Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) successfully concluded its annual World Stroke Day awareness campaign, which ran from 29 October to 2 November. The campaign, aligned with the global theme “Let’s Get Active Every Day to Be Greater Than Stroke,” focused on educating the public about stroke prevention, early recognition, and the importance of specialized care.
The initiative featured a series of interactive events, exhibitions, and public outreach activities at key HMC facilities including Hamad General Hospital, Al Khor Hospital, Aisha Bint Hamad Al Attiya Hospital, Hazm Mubaireek General Hospital and Al Wakra Hospital and popular public venues across Qatar, including Villaggio and Lulu shopping malls. The campaign aimed to highlight the significant public health threat posed by stroke, which remains the second leading cause of death worldwide and the third leading cause of disability.
This year’s campaign introduced an updated mnemonic for stroke recognition, expanding the well-known FAST acronym (Face dropping, Arm weakness, Speech problems/Slurred speech, Time ticking) to BE FAST, with the inclusion of Balance (sudden loss of balance and Eyes (sudden loss of vision), to encourage and educate people to understand the importance of stroke signs and symptoms and get an early diagnosis and treatment.
“World Stroke Day is a critical opportunity for us to reinforce the message that stroke is preventable and treatable. Our aim was to engage the community, raise awareness, and provide essential information on how to recognize the early signs of a stroke,” said Dr. Ahmed Own, Director of the Neuroscience Institute at HMC. “We were pleased to see such strong engagement from both healthcare professionals and the public throughout the campaign,” he added.
The campaign’s activities were spread across several HMC hospitals, where dedicated booths were set up to provide information and resources about stroke. The booths were staffed by experts from the Stroke Services and all key departments involved in the specialized care and treatment of stroke patients. Visitors were encouraged to learn about the risk factors associated with stroke, including high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, smoking, and physical inactivity.
In addition to the hospital-based events, public awareness activities were held at Villaggio and Lulu Malls, attracting hundreds of participants. These events featured interactive exhibits, health screenings, and educational materials aimed at empowering individuals to take control of their health and reduce their risk of stroke.
“Our goal was to ensure that everyone who visited our booths walked away with a better understanding of how to prevent a stroke and how to recognize the signs early,” said Dr. Osama Elalamy, Head of the Neurology Department at HGH. “The faster someone recognizes the symptoms of a stroke and seeks medical help, the better their chances of recovery.”
One of the campaign’s main messages was that nearly 90 percent of strokes are preventable by addressing lifestyle factors. HMC urged the public to adopt healthy habits such as regular exercise, balanced diets, and quitting smoking to significantly reduce their risk of stroke.
Ms. Khadija Al Shukaili, Executive Director of Nursing at Hamad General Hospital, explained that with the success of this year’s campaign, HMC remains committed to continuing its work in stroke prevention and care. “We will continue to drive public education on stroke prevention and work towards improving the outcomes for stroke patients across Qatar. The more we engage the community and healthcare professionals, the closer we come to reducing the devastating impact of stroke.”
