Malawi’s first ever stroke unit has been opened today at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre.
The unit has been set up through a partnership between University College London and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital.
“Eventually, the stroke unit will be full of patients and the team will care for patients with stroke across the hospital.
“Small steps, but a big milestone. The hard work begins now,” Malawi Stroke Unit said in a short statement on its Twitter account @malawistroke1.
Also posting on Twitter, Dr. Tamara Phiri said the opening is a culmination of six years of work.
“So proud to see a dream we have worked on for the past six years come to life as the doors to #Malawi’s first ever multidisciplinary Stroke Unit open. It took team work, amazing partnerships and hard work. This a huge milestone,” Dr. Phiri tweeted.
Malawi Liverpool Welcome Trust tweeted: “We are so happy that the first stroke unit is up and running from today – 12/05 – which is also #InternationalNursesDay Congratulations to all collaborators who made this possible.”
While Sellina Edwards said: “Malawi 1st stroke unit opens its doors today 12/05/2022! After years of hard work from so many wonderful people, this beautiful and necessary collaborative project has got us to a new functioning stroke unit. 
Edwards added: “So extremely proud to have been able to be part of such an incredible project, and to be able to continue to share knowledge and skills internationally.”
According to Malawi Stroke Unit (https://malawistrokeunit.org), effects of stroke can be devastating, resulting in death or disability.
In the country, stroke is one of the leading causes of death.
“In Malawi, stroke most commonly occurs when people are in their 40s or 50s and providing for their families,” the website says.
It adds that similar stroke units transformed stroke care in the United Kingdom over 15 years ago, and led to improvement in survival and reduction in disability from stroke.
Malawi 1st stroke unit opens it doors today 12/05/2022! After years of hard work from so many wonderful people, this beautiful and necessary collaborative project has got us to a new functioning stroke unit.@UCLH @malawistroke1 @MedstromUK @WorldStrokeOrg @MlwTrust @UCLHCharity pic.twitter.com/4hcB2XksEz
— Selina EDWARDS ANP NHNN ESU (@UchHasu) May 12, 2022
Welcome to Malawi's first stroke unit 🤩 pic.twitter.com/ffs7qKN3f7
— Revolutionising Stroke Care in Malawi (@malawistroke1) May 11, 2022
