Driving change for epilepsy care in Rwanda

Across the globe, an estimated 50 million people are living with epilepsy . Around 80% are thought to live in low- and middle-income countries . In countries like Rwanda, access to diagnosis, treatment and care is limited  – not only due to lack of treatment options, but also because there are relatively few specialists trained to diagnose and treat epilepsy, and because stigma continues to surround the condition.

We recently travelled to Rwanda with a film crew as they filmed a new mini-documentary, produced for UCB by BBC StoryWorks, about epilepsy care in the country. Meeting patients, families, nurses, doctors and community health workers brought home both the scale of the challenge and the strength of the response. Their hope, experiences and unique perspectives are at the heart of the film and offer an important snapshot of what life in the epilepsy community looks like in Rwanda.

Building capacity, educating communities and addressing stigma
In Rwanda, specialist medical help for treating epilepsy can be hard to find due to the small pool of trained neurologists. Twenty years ago, there was only one neurologist for a population of 12 million people. Today, there are six neurologists for roughly 14 million people . It is still not enough, but it shows what is possible when government, universities, healthcare professionals and partners like UCB work together.

Broader education programs are also becoming more common in Rwanda, helping to train health professionals in hospitals and health centers, raising awareness of the condition and the importance of early treatment, as well as addressing the stigma associated with epilepsy.

Ensuring medicines are available
For people living with epilepsy, reliable and affordable access to medicines is essential. As a company with a rich heritage in epilepsy, UCB is committed to working with partners to improve access to quality care and medicines for people with epilepsy.

UCB is proud to continue this support – training healthcare providers, educating communities and improving access to medicines – to help advance health equity for people living with epilepsy around the world.

We invite you to watch the film to hear directly from those driving change for the epilepsy community in Rwanda. 
 

This video was produced for UCB by BBC StoryWorks Commercial Productions