State-of-the-art stroke centre
By James Kon

It is a well-established fact that stroke is a major cause of death and the most common cause for disabilities worldwide and Brunei Darussalam is certainly no exception to this. With the country's ever increasing population and rise in the average life expectancy of an individual, we will almost certainly see an increase in this trend of stroke related illnesses and disabilities.

His Royal Highness Prince Haji 'Abdul 'Azim lauded the new state-of-the-art life saving treatment for stroke provided by JPMC in a sabda during the launching of the Neuroscience, Stroke and Rehabilitation Centre at Jerudong Park Medical Centre yesterday.

Expressing His Majesty's vision in providing medical and health services for the nation, His Royal Highness said, "It is the vision of my father, His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam that his subjects be provided with medical and health services of world class standard, and this centre represents an integral part of realising His Majesty's vision.

"It is therefore both timely and appropriate to have in Brunei our own specialised stroke and rehabilitation centre and this has been made possible by JMPC with the help of experts from Krankenhaus Nordwest Hospital in Germany," HRH added.

"I would like to thank the team from Germany for bringing their technologies to Brunei and for sharing with us their extensive medical expertise in order to successfully establish the infrastructure required to construct and operate the centre.

"Through this form of close cooperation, it is hoped that our local medical professionals will be able to benefit from the transfer of knowledge and skills and that this will open up a new horizon of opportunities to raise the image and quality of public sector health services in our nation," said Prince 'Azim.

His Royal Highness also hoped that the collaborative effort will help to raise the awareness of the public on the causes, symptoms and signs of stroke, with a view to promoting greater personal responsibilities for their own health.

"In this manner," His Royal Highness said, "we can all endeavour to enjoy greater longevity and to take pride in the care given by His Majesty's Government. I believe that this initiative will not only help to save many lives in Brunei but will also help to spare families from the sorrow and difficulty of caring full time for loved ones who have been disabled by stroke related diseases."

In concluding the sabda, HRH said, "I further believe this may also represent the beginning of many other world class projects from JPMC to better serve the people of Brunei and it is a pleasure to see JPMC moving in that direction." - Borneo Bulletin (20th July 2010)


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