Responding to the Need for Epilepsy Care in Bolivia
In October 2019, Solidarity Bridge received a formal request from the Board of Directors of Puente de Solidaridad to expand our neurosurgical program to include a focus on neurology, particularly the treatment and care of patients with epilepsy. They explained: “In our daily interactions with people of scarce resources, through our visits to hospitals, and in conversations with doctors, Puente de Solidaridad has perceived a great need to work towards a new program related to issues of epilepsy.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are also in consensus regarding the need for national epilepsy programs. Epilepsy is associated with greater morbidity and mortality, as well as societal stigma and discrimination. The disease disproportionately affects poor populations with less access to health care. Yet there are many cost-effective interventions available, through which a patient’s quality of life, and that of their family, can be greatly improved.
Santa Barbara Hospital director Dr. Sandro Gareca (in white coat), and Dr. Anne Clarke and Dr. Steve Coates of TeleEEG (right), with physicians and other staff participating in a demonstration of EEG equipment donated to the hospital’s neurology service.
Adapting to the pandemic, in 2021 we addressed this need through virtual exchanges. This week we are excited to resume in-person epilepsy activities in Sucre and Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Our mission team includes Dr. Jeff Loeb, a neurologist from the University of Illinois Chicago, and Dr. Steve Coates, Dr. Anne Clarke, and Howard Potts from the UK based organization, TeleEEG.
Our activities this week include:
● clinical consultations with local neurologists,
● equipping two public hospitals with new EEG machines,
● providing four days of training in administering EEGs,
● lectures for medical students, and
● coordination for Bolivian-led epilepsy research.
The scientific literature on epilepsy speaks of the “global disease burden” and “closing the epilepsy treatment gap.” The Lancet has estimated that 70% of people suffering from epilepsy in Latin America and the Caribbean do not have access to care. As we travel on mission and speak to dedicated local doctors, we know that these are not just statistics. They are children, women and men for whom a lack of access to epilepsy treatment leads to a lifetime of disability and often to early death.
It is an honor to work side-by-side with our Bolivian colleagues, responding to the global call to increase access to epilepsy treatment through a multi-faceted approach. As we tackle this significant systemic issue, we treasure our personal encounters with providers and patients. They ground us in their lived experiences and enliven our work with their dignity and strength.
Through partnerships and collaborative actions that are measurable and sustainable, the Neurosurgery and Neurology Institute works to build capacity and expertise in Bolivia and Paraguay in order to increase access to safe, affordable and timely health care.
We are committed to alleviating the suffering, death and disability from neurological disorders and injuries that disproportionately impact patients in the countries where we serve.