Accra-Ghana, June 16, GNA – The Epilepsy Society of Ghana and the Korea International Cooperation (KOICA) on Wednesday, held a seminar in Accra to raise awareness on epilepsy.
The seminar also sought to promote a comprehensive understanding of epilepsy, encourage collaboration among stakeholders, and drive positive changes in healthcare support systems, and societal attitudes towards epilepsy.
Epilepsy is a common condition that affects the brain and causes frequent seizures. Seizures are bursts of electrical activity in the brain that temporarily affect how it works.
Dr Amma Mpomaa Boadu, Deputy Director of the Mental Health Division, Ghana Health Service (GHS), said epilepsy affected about 50 million people globally with about 80 per cent of them living in low- and middle-income countries like Ghana.
She said the reported number of epileptic patients living in low- and middle-income countries did not have access to adequate treatment.
The Deputy Mental Health Director said 70 per cent of the people living with epilepsy could live seizure-free lives when properly diagnosed and treated.
“In Ghana, it is estimated that between one to 1.5 per cent of the population live with epilepsy and this statistic is quite worrying considering a population of about 33 million,” she said.
Dr Boadu said Ghana had made strides in tackling the challenges of epilepsy by increasing the human resources capacity to diagnose and manage the condition.
“We have trained more primary health care providers to diagnose, treat and refer more complex cases for expert management through the fight against epilepsy project,” she said.
She said the inclusion of epilepsy management on the National health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) has improved epilepsy care in the country.
Dr Boadu commended KOICA and the Epilepsy Society of Ghana for raising awareness on epilepsy in Ghana.
Dr Hannah-Sharon Mills, General Practitioner, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), said epilepsy was a one of the common neurological conditions that affected children, saying, “at Korle-Bu, it’s about 30 per cent of the patients we see at the epilepsy, the neurodevelopmental clinic each year.”
She said apart from managing seizures in children with epilepsy, the condition also affected the development and cognition in children.
Dr Mills said epileptic children could be managed adequately on anti-seizure medication or surgery.
Professor Sammy Ohene, President of Epilepsy Society of Ghana, said in Ghana, the treatment gap for epilepsy was estimated to be about 85 per cent, out of which most of the care was provided by nurses and doctors who mostly had access to only phenobarbitone and carbamazepine.
Mr Seungmin Oh, Acting Country Director of KOICA, said creating awareness about the condition would help dispel misconceptions and stigma associated with epilepsy.
He called on stakeholders to come together to ensure that individuals with epilepsy received comprehensive care which included medical treatment, emotional and social support and education.
