Health: Strengthening Emergency Stroke Care

T he Douala General Hospital (DGH) is strengthening its ca­ pacity to manage acute ischemic stroke with the routine use of intra­ venous thrombolysis and the expan­ sion of its Neurovascular Intensive Care Unit (USIV). The progress was highlighted during a Postgraduate Medical Education (EPU) session held recently at the hospital. The session brought together healthcare leaders, neurologists, emergency physicians, intensivists and other specialists to review recent advances in stroke ma­ nagement and strategies for improving emergency neurological care in Douala. During the main presentation by Pro­ fessor Mapoure, lead Neurologist at the Douala General Hospital, neuro­ logical conditions account for up to 14 per cent of emergency consulta­ tions at DGH. Stroke also remains the leading cause of adult hospitalisation in the hospital’s internal medicine department, a trend observed over the past three years. Today, he went on, the hospital has a dedicated Neurovascular Intensive Care Unit located close to the main Intensive Care Unit. Faced with in­ creasing demand, the Douala general hospital has recently doubled the unit’s capacity from four to eight spe­ cialised beds, in addition to 12 general neurology beds. The USIV is equipped with electric infusion pumps and conti­ nuous 24-hour monitoring systems. A multidisciplinary on-call team com­ prising neurologists, emergency phy­ sicians, intensivists and anesthesio­ logists provides round-the-clock care. The prese also disclosed that there has been the routine introduction of intravenous thrombolysis at hospital since January 2026. The treatment, which dissolves blood clots obstructing blood flow to the brain in elig...