More research is 'urgently' needed to help prevent and treat stroke patients, the BHF has warned.
An estimated 13 people per day experience a stroke and 66,000 people are currently living with the after-effects of the disease.
The BHF says that while there has been a 22% reduction in deaths between 2010 and 2015, new developments are needed to help 'revolutionise stroke outcomes'.
Currently, only one drug, called alteplase, is currently approved in the UK to treat an ischaemic stroke - when the artery that supplies blood to the brain is blocked. A new procedure called a thrombectomy is now being embedded in emergency care including at the University Hospital of Wales.
Experts in the field are now in the process of creating a cross-Wales stroke research and 'innovation network' so there is a more joined-up approach to the prevention and treatment of the disease.
Credit: PA
The Stroke Association in Wales welcomed the calls to increase funding into stroke.
