By Jesse Owusu Ampah/Christabella Arko, GNA
Accra, Feb. 11, GNA – Dr Albert Akpalu, a Neurologist and Epilepsy treatment expert, has called for Epilepsy care to be integrated into the normal medical treatment to improve access to medication and treatment for persons living with it.
Dr Akpalu, who is a Medical Doctor at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, said the integration would increase the awareness, support and treatment of the disease just as other diseases such as HIV/AIDS, Malaria, among others.
He made this remark at an event organized by the Epilepsy Foundation Ghana (EFGh) to commemorate the celebration of the International Epilepsy Day on the theme, “Friendship and Inclusion.”
He said there was inadequate ratio of patients to doctors, which required an increase in health professionals to be trained in treatment of the disease.
He said Epilepsy was not a psychiatric or contagious disease as people speculated, adding that, “people with Epilepsy also live normal lives”.
Dr Akpalu said Epilepsy was a natural disease that could happen to anyone at any point in life.
“Epilepsy is not hereditary, and it is mostly caused by acts that affects the head and brain and caused a disorderly discharge of the brain cells”.
Dr Akpalu said there were about 21 drugs for the disease of which five were available in the country at the moment but was not readily available to persons.
He said in treating victims whenever there were seizures, items such as spoons should not be put in their mouth, but advice that their heads should be cushioned well to avoid damages.
Mr Mike Amon Kwafo, Founder and Convener of EFGh, said 308,000 of the population were living with Epilepsy, out of which 85 per cent were not under treatment.
He said Epilepsy was a natural disease as opposed to the various superstitions people alleged, calling on the public as well as religious bodies to lead the advocacy in the country against stigmatization of persons living with Epilepsy.
“People who do not understand the nature or cause of any human condition tend to explain it away by superstition, witchcraft or some other outlandish speculation.
“The Epilepsy Foundation of Ghana will like to emphasize to Ghanaians that Epilepsy is a known and understood condition or disorder in the brain,” he said.
He said the commemoration was in realization of the Sustainable Development Goal Three on providing good health and wellbeing for all.
Mr Thomas Larbie, President, International Bureau of Epilepsy, Ghana Chapter, and a husband of an epileptic patient, appealed to families to be supportive to persons living with Epilepsy.
He also advice that families should not hide them from the public, saying, they should help bring the disease out of the shadow.
He said not only neurologists could assist a patient when he or she had a seizure but anyone at all with adequate training and education.
GNA
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