Disability and epilepsy

Dr Christine Peta
Disability Issues

THIS week, we focus on epilepsy as Zimbabwe joined the rest of the world in commemorating the International Epilepsy Day on February 12.

It is a special awareness day that takes place on the second Monday of every February to illuminate the challenges that are experienced by persons with epilepsy.

On June 9, 2021, President Mnangagwa launched the National Disability Policy, which acknowledges epilepsy as an invisible disability.

That, therefore, means our Government includes persons with epilepsy among people with disabilities. They are supported by the State through the Ministry of Public Service, Labor and Social Welfare, with the aim of enhancing their health and well being, as well as that of their families.

The International Epilepsy Day seeks to raise awareness on epilepsy, thus helping health workers to diagnose the condition.

Stakeholders also use the occasion to deliberate and take action on the availability of the required medicines, as well as undertake research into the health and social care response to epilepsy, therefore informing disability programming that includes the condition.

Raising awareness helps us to eliminate the stigma and discrimination surrounding epilepsy, especially in Africa, where persons with such a condition are at times regarded as “vanhu vane mamhepo (persons with evil spirits)”.

Some people do not want to eat or drink from the same plate or cup that is used by persons with epilepsy due to a fallacious belief that the condition is contagious.

Epilepsy is so much a part of document history that it is mentioned in the Code of Hammurabi — the longest, best-organised and best-preserved legal text from the ancient Near East. Here, it is referred to as a condition under which a slave may be returned for a refund.

Epilepsy is triggered by an abnormal electrical discharge in the brain, resulting in an involuntary change in body movement, function, sensation, awareness and behaviour.

It is one of the major brain disorders worldwide and must be considered one of the priorities in healthcare and social welfare systems.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates, of the 10 million people in Africa with epilepsy, 80 percent of them are treated with readily available modern medicine.

Most of the causes of symptomatic epilepsy in our country can be greatly reduced with treatment and raising awareness in and around our communities. However, the condition continues to take its toll among our people, causing impaired physical, psychological and social functioning of those affected, and equally serious psychological, social and economic consequences for their families.

That is so because the social stigma attached to epilepsy in Africa results in persons with the condition and their families shying away from seeking medical attention.

Many people in Africa, including in Zimbabwe, believe epilepsy is caused by witchcraft and sorcery, and that traditional treatment that takes place privately in homes and communities is the only way of dealing with it.

Stigma generates a hidden burden that discourages patients from seeking the diagnosis and care they need, to the detriment of their health and well-being.

Our National Disability Policy recognises that medication that is assistive in nature (to normalise function and daily living of persons with epilepsy) should be part of inclusive budgeting.

The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare (Department of Disability Affairs), the Epilepsy Support Foundation, WHO, the Zimbabwe League Against Epilepsy and the Ministry of Health and Child Care are working collaboratively to push forward the agenda of conducting research on epilepsy in Zimbabwe. They want to come up with evidence-based programmes and accurate up-to-date statistics on persons with epilepsy in the country. The Government has disability officers in all the provinces in the country, as well as social development officers in all districts, including officers with disabilities, thus striving to bring services closer to the communities where people live.

The following are some of the services that are offered to persons with disabilities, including persons with epilepsy, by Government through the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare in both rural and urban areas: payment for vocational training; access to healthcare in public institutions through the assisted medical treatment order; assistive technologies; economic empowerment loans and grants; per capita and administration grants; basic education assistance module for payment of fees from early childhood development stage to Advanced Level, including for learners in special schools; payment of fees for persons with disabilities enrolled with learning institutions such as universities and polytechnics; and social cash transfers.

Dr Christine Peta is a disability, policy, international development and research expert. She is the national director of Disability Affairs in Zimbabwe. She can be contacted on: [email protected]