Stroke Rehabilitation in Nigeria: Challenges and Opportunities

Stroke rehabilitation offers opportunity for people with impairments and disabilities secondary to stroke. In this regard, there are many advances particularly in the developed countries. Whereas, in the developing countries such as Nigeria there are still many challenges such as lack of guidelines to guide clinicians and other stakeholders, dearth of the neurological rehabilitation professionals, inadequate training of the existing rehabilitation professionals, poor infrastructure, and lack of policies for stroke rehabilitation. However, there are also opportunities as well such as increased national and global focus on non-communicable diseases, partnership with stakeholders in national and global health, leveraging on democratic governance, leveraging on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and leveraging on the systems through which communities deal with stroke. When these opportunities are harnessed, they can help to improve stroke rehabilitation in the country. Additionally, tackling the challenges headlong can help to improve stroke rehabilitation in Nigeria.