The treatment gap and misinterpretations of epilepsy in Gambia

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Tanya Spensley

Epilepsy Footprint, UK

: Int J Ment Health Psychiatry

Abstract

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In the United Kingdom people take everything for granted because they always have an NHS with access to specialist hospitals, doctors, surgeons, medicines and medical machines for performing neurological tests. In comparison there is an extreme lack of services available in Africa especially, Gambia. This is due to a lack of facilities, medical services, trained medical staff, medicines, funding and the general understanding of epileptic seizures. The aim now is to bring countries together in different ways to aid those in Sub-Saharan Africa who have less neurological services and facilities. This can be achieved by assisting general doctors in those countries, working together with traditional healers, training new epilepsy nurses, provision of neurological services and equipment, providing more epilepsy education and change the general attitudes towards epilepsy. There are many ways of achieving these goals which starts by building up good relations with other medical organizations worldwide, negotiations with political leaders, media publicity and finding potential sponsors or donors.

Biography

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E-mail: tspensley@epilepsyfootprint.com