The second MENA stroke conference kicks off in Dubai

The 2nd edition of Middle East and Africa (MENA) Stroke Conference kicked off here on Thursday with participation of elite international experts in stroke to discuss and overview related topics with particular emphasis on acute stroke management, stroke prevention, imaging in acute stroke, intracranial bleed, and organizing stroke services. The two-day conference is organized by Dubai Health Authority (DHA) in cooperation with the World Stroke Organization and World Federation of Neurology. Stroke is the main cause of acquired disability and the third highest cause of death in UAE, Dr. Ahmad bin Kalban, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of primary health sector at DHA, said during his opening speech at the conference, indicating at the same time that such conferences are pertinent to help raise awareness and discuss latest treatment methods. He said that DHA's experience is a pioneering one in the field of diagnosis and treatment of strokes through development of strokes unit at Rashid Hospital, which contributed in treatment of hundreds of satisfactory conditions inside and outside UAE. DHA seeks to establish an integrated program to reduce strokes and avoid their negative complications on the city of Dubai level through promotion of health awareness and strengthen of preventive aspects to the society people, added bin Kalban. For his part, Dr. Suhail Al-Ruken, stroke and neurology consultant at Rashid Hospital, chairperson of the congress and President of the Emirates Neurological Society, stressed importance of the event, which will discuss a number of axes concerning sever strokes, as well as latest medical methods and protocols for its treatment. Dr. Al-Ruken added that some of the important topics the conference will discuss include stroke management and treatment, acute stroke presentation, complications and interventions, and new advance in the neuro-imaging of acute stroke including computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. In the same context, Karim Al-Alawoui, Managing Director of Boehringer Ingelheim Middle East and North Africa, a leading pharmaceutical company in the region, pointed out that stroke is the second leading cause of death in the world, indicating that in the Middle East and North Africa; stroke is increasingly becoming a major health problem with projections that deaths from it will nearly double by 2030. In addition, he noted that there is an urgent need to develop strategies to prevent and better care for stroke patients in this region.