Stroke treatment - Failures that ruin lives

EVEN in normal times to be told that our response to a common but devastating illness is both less effective and more expensive than it might be is frustrating.

Yesterday’s report on how our health service helps stroke victims found the annual bill exceeds €1 billion, with 40% going to nursing homes.

The Irish Heart Foundation, who commissioned the report, claimed costs could be cut by up to €13 million a year if there was general access to stroke units and more availability of the clot-busting treatments.

Michael O’Shea, IHF chief executive, said the huge scale of avoidable death and institutionalisation is caused by the inadequacies in acute, rehabilitation and support services. Dress it up any way you like this is a lethal and heartbreaking failure of governance made possible only because we put up with it.