Under the EPIC program, in one year, over 500 free screenings and 20 free surgeries were conducted for the Below Poverty Level (BPL) epilepsy patients
Sakra World Hospital announced the initialisation of Phase-2 of the EPIC (Epilepsy Prevention & Integrated Care) Programme. This programme is initiated in association with Rotary International and First Meridian. This year-long programme aimed to provide quality treatment and education about Epilepsy for PWE (People with Epilepsy) for free.
The EPIC programme is India’s first distinctive initiative to focus on Refractory epilepsy (uncontrolled epilepsy), specially dedicated for epilepsy patients who fall under the category of Below Poverty Level (BPL). The progress till date has been tremendous, more than 500 epilepsy patients hailing from different parts of the state have undertaken treatment. Out of the 500 patients, for the first time in Karnataka, 20 patients with refractory epilepsy underwent complex epilepsy surgeries including robotics surgeries, free of cost in a private hospital setup under EPIC programme. In addition, 2 patients underwent robotic-assisted hemispherotomy for the first time in the State of Karnataka.
Dr Satish Rudrappa, Director of Neurosciences, Sakra World Hospital said, “India has over 12 million people suffering from Epilepsy with an overall prevalence of 3.0-11.9 per 1000 population. There is a treatment gap that is prevalent where 75% of the patients fail to receive the necessary treatment due to poor patient workup and follow up at Primary Health Centre’s(PHC), poor family & education, lack of school health programs, and thus, early identification.”
Rotary Bangalore IT Corridor (RBITC) has launched a mobile application based on the EPIC Program known as the EPILEPSY-Rotary App, developed by First Meridian under their CSR program across the state of Karnataka to help the needy. This app will be available in both Kannada and English for all Android and iOS Users.
The agenda of the programme lies in educating people about the identification of the disease with the help of distinguished education programs conducted by experienced school teachers and caretakers said Sudhakar Balakrishnan, Group CEO, FirstMeridian. The team has also decided to launch free epilepsy camps at various parts of Karnataka in association with local Rotary Clubs following the main objective of this program which is creating awareness in the community to remove the stigma attached to epilepsy.
Speaking about the EPIC Program, Dr Shivakumar, Senior Consultant – Neurology & Epileptology, Sakra World Hospital said, “Epilepsy is a treatable illness and to cure or control epilepsy among the prevalent, it is necessary to provide them with the right education and treatments at an affordable price. With the initialisation of the EPIC Program, in the last year, we have successfully managed to screen over 500 patients and also provide complex surgical treatments for PWE free of cost. This time, we will be advancing and focusing on treating patients with Refractory Epilepsy or Intractable seizures. The screening and treatments of these patients would be conducted in the best way possible and free of cost. It is time we put out our best foot forward in eradicating epilepsy from the roots.”
