Head of Medical Assistance-Sierra Leone (MASL) in the UK, Sarah Snow has paid a five-day working visit to Sierra Leone to evaluate the work of the Epilepsy Project coordinated by Professor Radcliffe Lisk. MASL has been instrumental in starting the Sierra Leone project which is co-sponsored by the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET) under the institutional Link program. This link pairs the Basildon University Hospital in the UK and the Government Lumley Hospital headed by Dr. Virginia George, the local link partner.
Ms. Snow paid a visit to Kenema where she witnessed the epilepsy clinic in operation seeing over 70 patients on the day. She also went to Bo Government Hospital to meet the two community health officers, trained by the project and run the weekly epilepsy clinics in Bo. Ms. Snow was accompanied by Max Bangura the Coordinator of the Epilepsy Association of Sierra Leone (EASL), and Prof. Lisk.
In Freetown, she visited the Lumley hospital and had fruitful discussions with Dr. George and the epilepsy nurse, Marie Sapateh. The MASL Head later met with the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. K. Daoh to appraise him of the epilepsy work in Sierra Leone.
Started in 2010, the epilepsy project and the EASL have established three clinics in Freetown at Connaught hospital, Lumley hospital and at Rokupa Satellite hospital as well as a permanent clinic in Bo. The project and the association also run outreach clinics in Waterloo, Mile 91, Port Loko, Lunsar, Kambia, Kenema, Magburaka, Matotoka, Yele, Sewafe in Kono.
So far over 2,000 patients have been treated under the program. There are over 60,000 expected patients with epilepsy in Sierra Leone based on prevalence rates in other African countries.
In addition to the provision of treatment, the project is also involved in intensive sensitization and awareness raising campaigns. Workshops have been held in Bo and Makeni to educate the community about epilepsy and its treatability, its non transferability and other myths such as that it is being caused by demons and witchcraft, surrounding the disease. Epilepsy affects both children and adults. Over 70% of patients have become seizure free on medication.
Ms. Snow expressed her satisfaction over the progress of the program and intimated that the second phase which is about to start, will focus on education and awareness in all 13 districts with the appointment of an Epilepsy Support Worker in each district to spearhead activities.
MASL is also involved in arranging spinal surgery abroad for patients with curved spines.
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