The Ragama Stroke Unit is a 6-bed unit attached to the University Medical Unit of the the Colombo North Teaching Hospital, Ragama (CNTH). It was declared open by the Hon. Minster of Health Maithripala Sirisena on 29th October 2013 to mark the World Stroke Day. This was only the seventh stroke unit to be opened in the country, and is the only Stroke unit attached to a University Unit.
A multi-disciplinary Stroke Team consisting of a neurologist, medical officers, nursing officers, physiotherapists, speech therapists, occupational therapist, specialists in mental health and a social worker provide specialised stroke care. Regular multi-disciplinary team meetings are held on a weekly basis to decide on optimal care and rehabilitation goals. The Unit works in close collaboration with the National Hospital for Rehabilitation, Ragama where patients who need long-term rehabilitation are usually transferred.
In addition to providing clinical care for stroke patients, the Ragama Stroke Unit is a major centre for stroke research and training in Sri Lanka. It is home to the Ragama Stroke Registry, the first prospective hospital based stroke registry in the country. It is the national centre for the SITS (Safe Implementation of Treatments in Stroke) International Stroke Registry, and the focal point for the Network of Stroke Registries in Sri Lanka. It is a recognised collaborating centre for international multi-centre clinical trials into stroke.
The Ragama Stroke Unit provides training for undergraduate students in MBBS and BSc (Speech and Hearing Sciences) programmes of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, and postgraduate students in MD (Medicine). It conducts regular training programmes on multi-disciplinary stroke care for health care professionals in various parts of the country.
