Most workplaces know what to do when a fire alarm sounds. We leave the building and gather at a designated point. But imagine a colleague suddenly struggling to speak during a meeting. One side of their face appears uneven and they cannot lift one arm. Would anyone recognize a stroke, or would precious minutes […]

Most workplaces know what to do when a fire alarm sounds. We leave the building and gather at a designated point. But imagine a colleague suddenly struggling to speak during a meeting. One side of their face appears uneven and they cannot lift one arm. Would anyone recognize a stroke, or would precious minutes be lost asking whether they were tired or simply unwell?

That question stayed with me after World Stroke Day on 29 October. We discuss workplace wellness through gym memberships, motivational talks or aerobics in the company car park. Those have their place, but wellness must include knowing what to do when somebody’s health changes in front of us. A workplace can have polished policies and still be unprepared for a medical emergency.

This matters in Zambia. A neurologist at the University Teaching Hospital recently said UTH attends to close to 60 stroke cases each month. The hospital is also seeing risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol affecting people from as early as 35. Earlier this year, UTH reported that the proportion of admitted stroke patients dying in its unit had fallen from about 40 per cent to 10 per cent. Better care is saving lives, but patients must reach that care in time.

A stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is interrupted, either by a blockage or bleeding. The warning signs often appear suddenly. The simplest guide is FAST: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty and Time to seek emergency help. We do not need to diagnose the person or debate what type of stroke it might be. We need to recognize that something is wrong and act.

Yet many of us are trained to wait. We tell people to sit down, drink water or rest. We phone a relative before arranging medical help. If the person is younger, we may decide it cannot be a stroke. Where appearing strong and productive is valued, the person may also try to continue working rather than cause a scene.

That instinct to minimize illness is familiar across Zambia and the diaspora. We push through headaches, dizziness and exhaustion because deadlines are waiting and other people depend on us. Professionals may be especially skilled at making distress look manageable. But the brain does not recognize job titles, packed diaries or the fear of inconveniencing a manager. When stroke symptoms appear, time is not a metaphor. Delayed treatment can mean the difference between recovery, disability and death.

The deeper warning is blood pressure. The World Health Organization’s 2025 Zambia profile estimates that around 1.5 million adults aged 30 to 79 have hypertension, but only 11 per cent have it controlled. Hypertension often announces itself through a number on a monitor rather than a dramatic symptom. Untreated, it increases the risk of stroke, heart disease and kidney damage.

Diabetes adds to this risk. Living with Type 1 diabetes has taught me that chronic conditions do not remain politely outside the office. When blood glucose stays high, it can damage the lining of blood vessels. High blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol add to that damage, narrowing the vessels and increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke. This is why people with diabetes are about twice as likely to develop heart disease or have a stroke as people without diabetes. Yet someone can appear well while managing blood glucose, medication and countless invisible decisions in the background.

This is why workplace health cannot be reduced to telling employees to eat better and exercise more. People also need reasonable time for medical reviews, access to screening and a culture where mentioning a health concern is not treated as weakness. Prevention is partly personal, but employers influence whether people have the time, confidence and practical support to act early.

Zambia’s Occupational Health and Safety Act of 2025 requires employers to provide measures for emergencies and accidents, including adequate first-aid arrangements. That should not become another framed policy nobody reads. A first-aid box is useful, but it cannot recognise facial weakness. A nominated first aider is important, but one trained person may be absent when an emergency happens.

Businesses can take a practical approach. Staff should learn the FAST signs during safety training. Emergency contacts and transport procedures should be clear. Managers should know that sudden speech difficulty or weakness requires urgent action, not permission to finish the meeting first. Workplaces offering health checks should include blood-pressure screening and a referral route for anyone whose reading is high. Screening without follow-up merely gives anxiety a number.

This is not about turning offices, shops and factories into clinics. It is about accepting that people bring their whole bodies to work. The same organization that plans for fire, theft, machinery failure and data loss can also plan for the moment a colleague’s body sends an unmistakable warning.

There is a business argument too. A stroke can remove an employee from work for months, change a family’s income and create long-term care responsibilities. Rehabilitation may involve physiotherapy, speech therapy, medication and emotional support. Early action protects a person first, but it also protects the household and workplace built around them.

Perhaps the most useful workplace wellness question is not how many joined the fitness challenge. It is whether, in the frightening minutes when somebody’s smile changes or their words become unclear, the people around them know what they are seeing.

We cannot prevent every stroke. We can control more blood pressure, make earlier care easier and stop wasting time when warning signs appear. A workplace that recognizes FAST may never advertise that achievement. But one day, it may be the most important thing it has ever taught its staff.

Kaajal Vaghela is a sportswear designer and cultural wellness consultant with over three decades of lived experience managing Type 1 diabetes in Zambia and the diaspora. Having previously served as Chairperson of the Lusaka branch of the Diabetes Association of Zambia, she remains a passionate advocate for breaking down myths and building awareness about diabetes. For more personalized coaching or corporate wellness workshops, visit: www.kaajalvaghela.com and for any feedback: diabetes.by.kc@gmail.com)