National Stroke Week

This is National Stroke Week. It’s timely to acknowledge the excellent work of the many health professionals treating stroke victims at the Gold Coast University Hospital in Moncrieff. To highlight an outstanding example we need look no further than Dr Hal Rice and Dr Laetitia de Villiers, who are pioneering robotic neurovascular aneurism and stroke treatment at the Gold Coast University Hospital.

Dr Rice and Dr de Villiers have both undertaken specialist fellowships at the world-renowned Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. At the Gold Coast University Hospital, Dr Rice recently performed world-first surgery on a Gold Coast woman, successfully using a robotic arm for the delicate task of removing a brain clot with great precision. Dr de Villiers was also involved in the stroke patient robotic treatment.

The hospital is part of the Gold Coast Health and Knowledge Precinct that is rightly described as Asia-Pacific’s health and innovation hub. The precinct has supported Dr Rice, Dr de Villiers and their dedicated colleagues to achieve world-class expertise through superb onsite research facilities and partnership opportunities.

I extend my support to the Stroke Foundation’s campaign to save lives through FAST heroes. F stands for face—check their face to see if their mouth has drooped; A is for arms—can they lift both arms; S is for speech—is their speech slurred, and do they understand you; and T is for time—time is critical. If you see any of these signs, call triple 0 straightaway.