Epilepsy Programs
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MAHENGE EPILEPSY CLINIC
Dr.Louise Jill-Aall founded the Mahenge Epilepsy Clinic in 1960. She insisted that the family had to come to the clinic with the patient: in doing this she was sending a message that epilepsy was a treatable condition and not something to hide. The clinic oversees 500+ patients and and has one full time doctor and one nurse.
Dr.Dan Bhwana started working at the epilepsy clinic in 2017 with a passion for research and treating people with epilepsy. Through him community health workers were taught to go into the community to identify untreated epilepsy and teach epilepsy symptoms and healthy practices. He worked on research and found that there was still a gap in in identifying people with epilepsy. Through him a program was introduced that trained traditional rural healers in identifying people with epilepsy. Working with community elders can have a positive impact on the perception and therefore the treatment of people living with epilepsy.
Today the government of Tanzania employs those community health workers. This is an amazing example of creating sustainable solutions.
ANTI-SEIZURE MEDICATION
70% of people living with epilepsy could be seizure-free if treated. One of the challenges facing people with epilepsy in developing countries is the lack of consistent anti-seizure medication. Current gaps in pharmaceutical availability can last for weeks at a time. Our goal is to ensure that epileptic patients do not have to worry about access to consistent medication.
Read the report on Lamotrigine distribution in Mahenge.
EMPLOYMENT PROJECT
When Provision started, we set out to make the lives of those who suffer from epilepsy in rural Tanzania better in all aspects. Not only do these people need medicine, but employment and education are also essential for them to live completely normal lives within their communities.This is why we set out to create our employment program. The purpose of the employment program was to demonstrate that a person with epilepsy could be a productive member of society. Provision employed the same group of people from 2010 until their retirement in 2024.
WHO GLOBAL EPILEPSY REPORT
Over 50 million people worldwide have epilepsy, making it one of the most common neurological diseases. However, 80% of these cases come from low income to middle-income countries where proper medical care is harder to come by. Three-quarters of people impacted by epilepsy in low-income areas are not getting the treatment they deserve. For more information on epilepsy and how it impacts, read the WHO Global Epilepsy Report.