Organization of healthcare about patients with cerebrovascular disease in the Czech Republic

The growing burden of chronic disease of civilization during the 20th century and at the beginning of the 21st century in the context of demographic change, health promotion and treatment, is becoming a dominant agenda of the process of health policy making according to World Health Organization (WHO). Cerebrovascular disease (CVD) is not only the world's second leading cause of death, but also an important factor causing the reduction of self-sufficiency of chronically ill in both developing and developed countries . The first half of the 90s, thanks to the work of the Harvard School of Public Health and its application by the WHO, brought about a new comprehensive framework for the evaluation of morbidity, mortality and also self-sufficiency of chronically ill called “Burden of disease” (or “disease burden”) . The new combination of years of life lost due to premature death and years of life lived in less than full health. CVD represents an illness which leads to an average of 9.3 years lost due to premature death or disability in developed countries . In comparison with other diseases, CVD has one of the major socioeconomic and health impacts on society. The concept of the Disease Burden (DALYs) without doubt becomes the basis of the new approach to the formulation of health policy priorities, both in the field of medicine and health promotion . The question is how, in the current practice of the Czech health policy discussions, we manage to orientate the action of risk groups, patients and doctors to the control of risk factors on one hand, and to the treatment of acute stroke and particularly the care about chronically ill patients after acute phase (if the model of care about chronically ill is efficient) on the other one.