Traumatic brain injury is an under-recognised but significant cause of morbidity and mortality in Pakistan. The annual incidence of head injuries in Pakistan has been estimated as 50 per 100,000 population per year based on the data collected from public-sector hospitals. The most common causes are reported to be road traffic accidents (RTAs) and falls.
Pakistan is reported to have the highest road traffic mortality rates in South Asian countries. Although ambulance services and acute care are readily available to patients, there is very limited availability of rehabilitation services.
There is no patient registry to plan any sort of follow-up of individuals with brain injuries. Moreover, there is a lack of resources, speciality-trained clinicians and general awareness regarding traumatic brain injuries and rehabilitation.
All tertiary care hospitals and neuro-surgical centres in the country must endeavour to establish neuro-rehabilitative multidisciplinary services in order to manage all sorts of short- and long-term consequences of brain injuries, and in order to reduce their impact on the patient’s quality of life which is crtitical.
DR AAISHA KHAN
IRELAND
