Brain Health Initiative to provide care for neurological disorders in Karnataka

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Karnataka Brain Health Initiative recently launched by Minister of Health Dr K Sudhakar and its pilot projects in Kolar, Chikkaballapur and South Bengaluru will soon provide diagnosis of common neurological disorders by physicians (doctors) based on investigations laboratory and brain imaging.

Progressive chronic diseases, such as dementia, encephalitis, meningitis, and traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, are the major areas of concern due to their high burden in the state. Nine out of 10 people in the state suffer from one or more of these eight conditions.

In Karnataka, stroke, headache and epilepsy account for 70.1% of the gross DALY (disability adjusted life years) burden due to neurological disorders. DALY is a measure of the global burden of disease, expressed as the number of years lost due to ill health, disability or premature death.

Dr Rajani Parthasarathy, Deputy Director, Mental Health, Department of Health and Family Welfare, said, “NITI Aayog, together with NIMHANS, suggested conducting pilot projects in urban and rural areas recognizing the need for improve care and reduce the burden of neurological disorders. in the community.”

The initiative was launched on January 25. The Department of Health, NIMHANS and BBMP will provide evidence-based training and management strategies for common neurological conditions such as stroke, headache, epilepsy and dementia for use in primary, secondary and tertiary care centers.

This will facilitate early diagnosis, reduce the treatment gap and reduce levels of disability due to neurological diseases in the community. “The main outcome will be to develop a model of care that can be implemented at the national level to improve patient care and influence policy change towards better management of brain disorders,” Parthasarathy said.

The diseases that contribute the most to the burden of disability are stroke, headache, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia and cerebral palsy. However, awareness is low and currently the deficit in diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders ranges from 50% to 90% in the country.

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