The Upper East Regional Mental Health Unit has joined its sister units across the country and stakeholders in mental health across the country to mark International Epilepsy Day with a reminder that people who suffer from Epilepsy should not be shunned or discriminated against because the disease is not contagious.
Speaking on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East, the Upper East Regional Coordinator for Mental Health, Edem Quarshie Ameglah said the International Epilepsy Day, celebrated on the 2nd Monday of February each year, is to help draw the reorient the public on some of the untruths and misconceptions about the disease.
The Day is also to draw the attention of duty bearers across the globe to the need to increase resource allocation to the Mental Health Units. This, Mr. Ameglah said would ensure that an increased percentage of the population can access comprehensive mental health care.
“Epilepsy and mental health, in general, is something we do not talk about, so funding is a bit problematic. This Day is also used to raise funds for the organisations that manage Epilepsy so that they could be able to use those funds to talk more about the disease and other seizure-related illnesses,” he said.
In the Upper East Region, 760 people in 2021 were, for the first time, diagnosed with Epilepsy. This is a reduction from 2020’s figure of 893. 1,758 cases of Epilepsy were detected in the Upper East Region in 2019.
To help identify cases within the community from management, the Mental Health Unit, Mr. Ameglah explained has partnered with Traditional Leaders, Chiefs and Opinion Leaders. He explained that these groups of people help with health engagements with the community members and also help refer people suffering from mental health conditions in the community.
Meanwhile, speaking on the same platform, Mr. Ameglah expressed grave concern that people continued to abuse many substances, particularly alcohol, without realizing that the effects of same could cause irreparable damage to their mental wellbeing.
A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
