Madam, - We strongly support Dr Peter Kelly's call for a national stroke strategy (December 7th).
Geriatricians have been intimately involved in the provision of stroke care, in both acute and rehabilitative medicine for many years and have been to the fore in developing stroke services. Despite a lot of effort, development of comprehensive services has been patchy, but in those areas where services are well developed the benefits are there for all to see.
Stroke affects 10,000 people a year in Ireland. There is a wealth of international experience and a strong evidence base for preventive strategies, acute care and rehabilitation. Investment in stroke care makes sense both medically and economically. Let's get on with it. - Yours, etc,
Dr KEN MULPETER, Chair, Irish Society of Physicians in Geriatric Medicine, Letterkenny, Co Donegal.