The approval of the World Health Organization (WHO) Resolution on the Global Burden of Epilepsy by the World Health Assembly in May 2015 was historical for all of us. The level of support that the Resolution received at the World Health Assembly was overwhelming. The resolution provides a powerful tool to engage national governments into implementing effective actions to improve medical and social services for the people with epilepsy, promote public awareness about epilepsy and allocate resources to epilepsy research. The resolution also requests WHO to provide technical support to Member States in actions for epilepsy management, especially in low and middle income countries.
The Sixty-eighth World Health Assembly, recognizing the role of WHO to demonstrate further leadership and coordination and take effective action for epilepsy management, in view of the large public health impact, URGES Member States:
(1) to strengthen effective leadership and governance, for policies on general health, mental health and non-communicable diseases that include consideration of the specific needs of people with epilepsy, and make the financial, human and other resources available that have been identified, as necessary, to implement evidence-based plans and actions;
(2) to introduce and implement, where necessary and in accordance with international human rights norms and standards, national health care plans of action for epilepsy management, aiming to overcome inequalities and inequities in health, social and other related services, paying special attention to people with epilepsy living in conditions of vulnerability, such as those living in poor and remote areas, including by strengthening public health care services, and training local human resources with proper techniques;
(3) to integrate epilepsy management, including health and social care, particularly community-based services, within the context of universal health coverage, including community-based rehabilitation, into primary health care, where appropriate, in order to help to reduce the epilepsy treatment gap, by training non-specialist health care providers to provide them with basic knowledge for the management of epilepsy so that epilepsy can be diagnosed, treated and followed up as much as possible, in primary health care settings, as well as by empowering people with epilepsy and their carers for greater use of specified self and home care programmes, by ensuring a strong and functional referral system and by strengthening health information and surveillance systems to routinely collect, report, analyse and evaluate trends on epilepsy management;
(4) to support the establishment and implementation of strategies for the management of epilepsy, particularly to improve accessibility to and promote affordability of safe, effective and quality-assured antiepileptic medicines and include essential antiepileptic medicines into national lists of essential medicines;
(5) to ensure public awareness of and education about epilepsy, in particular in primary and secondary schools, in order to help to reduce the misconceptions, stigmatization and discrimination regarding people with epilepsy and their families that are widespread in many countries and regions;
(6) to promote actions to prevent causes of epilepsy, using evidence-based interventions, within the health sector and in other sectors outside health;
(7) to improve investment in epilepsy research and increase research capacity;
(8) to engage with civil society and other partners in the actions referred to in subparagraphs 1(1) to 1(7) above.
