Speech-language therapy in Kenya: An overview of practitioners, practices and professional needs.

Stroke, or cerebrovascular disease, is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Stroke is typically classified according to its causes into two main types: ischemic and hemorrhagic. Ischemic strokes constitute the highest incidence, accounting for approximately 87% of all cases (). Among the population of the West Bank, stroke ranks as the fourth leading cause of mortality, accounting for approximately 12.1% of all deaths in 2024 (). According to recent studies, the average age of stroke among Palestinians is 69.09 ± 10.9 years, with an incidence rate of 51.4 per 100,000 persons. Notably, the peak incidence rate is in the seventh decade of life, which highlights aging as one of the critical risk factors in the region (, ). The organization of stroke care in the West Bank also provides important context for interpreting public awareness. Stroke systems of care require coordinated pathways that link community recognition, emergency medical services, emergency department triage, rapid neuroimaging, specialist assessment, acute reperfusion decisions, inpatient stroke care, secondary prevention, and rehabilitation (). In the West Bank, healthcare is delivered through multiple providers, including the Ministry of Health, UNRWA, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector, with hospitals distributed across different governorates rather than concentrated within a single unified stroke network ().