Alarming rise in brain strokes

Believe it or not, West Bengal has the highest “disability adjusted life year” for brain stroke in India. It has emerged as one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability. Kolkata bears a particularly heavy burden, worsened by lifestyle risk factors, low public awareness, and significant delays in accessing stroke-ready hospitals leading to higher morbidity.

If Indian Stroke Association’s (ISA) official estimates are to be believed, they indicate that 73 per cent of India’s stroke patients arrive at medical facilities too late to benefit from life-saving treatments with average delays exceeding 11 hours. It is no more an old age malady as many less than 40 years get a brain stroke due to life style problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart conditions and skipping home cooked food.

ISA feels that brain stroke is now a full-blown public health crisis in West Bengal as patients reach hospitals late because families often fail to recognize symptoms or underestimate the urgency. ISA is now building up ‘Time to Act’ campaign and initiative, through which it seeks to empower every citizen to spot the warning signs instantly and seek immediate help. The organisation also wants general practitioners, who are often the first contact, to have the training to guide patients correctly. This is a race against time, and every second counts. Kolkata must lead India in making stroke response fast, efficient, and life-saving.

One such initiative: “Stroke Summer School 2025” organized by ISA aimed at training young neurologists in stroke medicine with a participation of 150 students from across India. The “Time to Act” campaign aims to tackle challenges head-on by enhancing the capacity of general physicians in Kolkata to recognize early signs of stroke, improving referral networks to designated stroke centers, and fostering community awareness through education on the FAST test (face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, time to hospital). By empowering both healthcare professionals and the public, ISA seeks to reduce response times and ultimately save lives.

ISA feels that in Kolkata, one of the biggest hurdle faced is in the delay in reaching a hospital in time. Patient families waste precious hours a stroke ready hospital. The ‘Time to Act’ campaign will help strengthen referral systems and train physicians across the city to quickly identify stroke and guide patients directly to specialized centers.

One must also remember that public education is equally vital—people must understand that a drooping face, slurred speech, or sudden weakness in the arms is a medical emergency. By acting fast, one can drastically improve survival rates and outcomes in Kolkata.

This initiative will bring together doctors, hospitals, and communities to fight stroke with urgency. Stroke affects people in their most productive years irrespective of age, and impacts families socially and economically in Kolkata. Beyond the financial stress, untreated or late-treated strokes often leave patients permanently disabled, creating lifelong challenges.