It has been over 6 months since the European Declaration on Epilepsy and the Pan American Health Organization Strategy and Plan of Action on Epilepsy were signed. The goal of these governmental agreements was to make epilepsy a health care priority in Europe and the Americas. At the time of the signings you learned of the importance of these agreements for people whose lives are ruled by epilepsy. These documents gave epilepsy visibility to the health care authorities, but what happened in the past months? A lot, actually, but as with many building projects, the initial work on the foundation is not dramatic or visible.
Emilio Perucca and Carlos Acevedo have summarized the current state of affairs on two videos that show how you can take advantage of this open door to improve epilepsy care in your country. Take the opportunity of these agreements and use the wealth of tools provided by the Institute of Medicine report on epilepsy to define the critical issues faced by your patients and to work with your health agencies to make things better. A number of our colleagues attest that it can be a long road, but the rewards at the end are real.
To view the videos please click the following link or copy and paste into your browser http://www.ilae.org/Visitors/policy/international.cfm
Edward Bertram
University of Virginia
Information Officer, ILAE