Identifying potential improvement areas in stroke care by comparing Indonesia and Japan

Stroke impacts Asian healthcare systems and economies. Two Asia-Pacific countries, Indonesia and Japan, have different healthcare systems due to ethnic and geographic diversity affecting lifestyles and risk factors. This situation requires the implementation of diverse early intervention strategies. This article aims to identify the differences in stroke care development and the potential that can be developed between Indonesia and Japan.

In this review, we discussed the epidemiological shift in strokes between two countries, geographic and transportation challenges, a lack of public awareness, and fewer human resources and infrastructure than Japan. Only large cities have stroke centers providing acute reperfusion treatment in Indonesia, which limits access to timely care for stroke patients in rural areas. In addition, Indonesia's national health insurance system is relatively immature and has cost management and service delivery issues, while Japan provides reasonable stroke care services.

There are various aspects in the development of stroke management between the two countries, ranging from epidemiological trends, stroke awareness, pre-hospital care, reperfusion therapy, human resources, infrastructure, financial resources, and stroke prevention strategies. Indonesia could learn valuable lessons from Japan, a country that has substantially progressed in stroke care.