The Epilepsy Foundation of Guyana seeks to dispel superstitions about epilepsy while enabling epileptics
Epilepsy means the same as “seizure disorders”. It is said that “public perception and treatment of people with epilepsy are often bigger problems than actual seizures”, which is why the Epilepsy Foundation of Guyana (EFG) is an unwavering ally in the battle against this debilitating medical condition.
EFG is an association of physicians, health professionals and allied and para-health professionals and other persons of any sort – including epileptics themselves – in Guyana, committed to promoting the equal health care access for people living with epilepsy in Guyana, and the rights of people suffering from seizures, especially in the areas of health, education and employment. The Epilepsy Foundation of Guyana was registered on Nov. 14, 2014 under the Friendly Societies’ Act. EFG is a Provisional Chapter of the International Bureau for Epilepsy (IBE) and will become a fully chapter after ratification by the IBE’s 2107 General Assembly.
In an interview with the Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, president of EFG, Dr. Thomas Singh, said that the idea of an Epilepsy Foundation of Guyana was first mooted in 2011 at a meeting of the now-defunct Justice, Compassion, and Peace Commission of the Guyana Presbyterian Church (GPC), set up to “…allow the GPC to respond to issues that otherwise could not be accommodated in a timely fashion within the existing structures of the Church; and … allow the GPC’s constituency, i.e., the members of the church, to feel that their church is indeed concerned with the issues that affect their daily lives”.
EFG’s objectives are to raise awareness and engage in advocacy about epilepsy/seizures, and especially that it is a medical condition that can be managed; and to dispel myths and superstitions about epilepsy; help people to know how to recognize and deal with seizures when they occur, whether at home or elsewhere; work to end discrimination, at the workplace, in schools and elsewhere, against people suffering with epilepsy/seizures; advance the diagnosis, prevention, treatment and management of epilepsy by making available to medical practitioners, hospitals, schools, and agencies and individuals dealing with people suffering with seizures/epilepsy, the latest medical research on epilepsy (including any newly developed medication and epilepsy surgery); provide advice and counselling to people suffering with epilepsy/seizures and to their families, and especially to provide guidance on the treatment and management options available to them; promote and work towards the development and implementation of a national strategy for the prevention and control of epilepsy and encourage the drafting and enactment of appropriate legislation to support the achievement of the Foundation’s objectives. It also aims to collect data on epilepsy and seizures, and start a Guyana Registry on this disability. Additionally, the EFG hopes to more generally encourage and facilitate education, training and research in epilepsy, and to support the work of agencies and individuals that are committed enhancing scientific knowledge about epilepsy; engage in fundraising, networking, public relations and other activities that would aid in the achievement of the objectives stated here. It will also work in collaboration with any agency or organization in Guyana or elsewhere that has objectives similar to those of the Foundation’s.
