Stroke is one of the most urgent public health, economic, and societal challenges facing APAC today. Despite being largely preventable and highly treatable when care is timely, stroke continues to claim millions of lives and leave millions more with lifelong disability. In many countries, stroke continues to be under-prioritised, under-funded, and inconsistently addressed within national health strategies.

Across APAC, health systems face persistent challenges, including outdated national stroke plans, limited political commitment and financing, weak data and surveillance, delays in emergency response, and unequal access to stroke-ready hospitals and rehabilitation services—particularly in rural and underserved areas. These gaps result in avoidable deaths, preventable disability, and rising economic costs.

ASPA was created to address these gaps by supporting governments and stakeholders in turning evidence into practical, coordinated policy action. ASPA focuses on what enables real-world progress: clearer priorities, stronger national plans, better alignment across the stroke care pathway, and policies that can be implemented, funded, and sustained.

Operating as a non-commercial, evidence-informed and country-driven platform, ASPA brings together policymakers, clinicians and partners to strengthen stroke policy across APAC. It aligns global recommendations with regional realities, facilitates cross-border collaboration, and supports countries in developing stroke strategies tailored to their health systems.