BHU holds awareness campaign on epilepsy in naxal-hit areas

The university is providing free medicines, diagnosis and treatment to epilepsy patients

In a novel initiative, Benaras Hindu University (BHU) has launched a campaign to make people living in naxal-infested villages of North India aware about epilepsy and various myths associated with it.

As part of its celebrations of the first World Brain Day tomorrow, the university, which started the campaign nearly two weeks ago, is providing free medicines, diagnosis and treatment to epilepsy patients in those areas through a mobile van that is equipped with all medical facilities.

"We are providing free of cost medicines, diagnosis as well as proper treatment to epilepsy patients in naxal-infested regions of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand as well as other states," Vijay Nath Mishra, a neurologist at Institute of Medical Sciences (IMS), BHU, said.

"The awareness campaign is an initiative of the BHU's Institute of Medical Sciences, Department of Neurology, which has been running epilepsy awareness camps all over North India since the last one year," he said.

Mishra said epilepsy patients in naxal-hit areas have little access to hospitals and medicines which force them to visit unqualified doctors or traditional healers for cheap medication.

"In naxal areas, where government hospitals are at a far distance, patients are either forced to consult traditional healers to get cheap medication or consult unqualified doctors of their village, who instead of healing them, aggravate their problems," he said.

He said patients suffering from epilepsy are mistreated and there is a myth among people that the disease is caused by demonic possession.

During the campaign, a documentary titled 'Ek naya din', based on real life stories of epileptic patients, will be shown to the villagers.

"I realised that conceptualising a film based on the real life stories of patients I had treated few years back could turn out as the most effective way to make people aware about the various myths, misconceptions and superstitions associated with this disorder," he said.

The film was released by President Pranab Mukherjee on July 22 last year and was widely appreciated.

"In the remote villages, sometimes teenage girls and women suffering from epilepsy are sexually abused by male traditional healers, who claim that sex is the way to drive out the demons from their possessed body," Mishra said.

"Only awareness in remote areas about epilepsy can be the best medium to save people from this disorder," said R G Singh, Director of Institute of Medical Sciences, BHU.

World Brain Day has been declared for the first time by the World Federation of Neurology, known to be the highest body of neurologists worldwide.