Innovation details
The program will perform focused activities to achieve the following objectives:
Increase the effectiveness and efficiency of primary health care.
The epilepsy training and the intervention tasks allow primary health care staff to increase their skills to qualify as DMVs. The training module consists of:
- Basic knowledge on epilepsy
- Tasks of a domestic health visitor
- Practice with patients and case discussion
- Appropriate methods of data collection
- Counseling methods
District hospital doctors who perform diagnostic tests will be trained by the neurologist.
Improve access to treatment and adherence of people with epilepsy.
The intervention package will be executed by DMVs every month for 18 months at the village level. During the monthly visits, each village will receive the following intervention package components:
- The Information Education and Communication (IEC) campaign (with adapted tools) – daily radio message and posters, brochures, and cartoon drawings for the general population, and a follow up book for those living with epilepsy
- Identification of suspected cases of epilepsy
- Follow-up of people with epilepsy and delivery of monthly treatments in their homes
Improve the socio-economic level of people with epilepsy and reduce stigma in general population.
A micro-franchise program will be created to provide professional support for patients under treatment (> 3 months) in shops or services to improve the quality of life of people living with epilepsy and their families. Gradually the micro-franchisees will become the main people through which dissemination of IEC materials will happen and will also be the main points of contact, visited by the DHV each month.
The reduction of stigma in the general population is based on the principle of "good example": under treatment, a person with epilepsy is a person like everyone else, able to succeed and to have a business. A committee will select the microfranchisee (one per village) and the program will subsidize the equipment need to start the business. Then the person with epilepsy will ensure their own business and help the DHV when he comes to his respective village. The microfranchisee contributes in his office by making available all supports Information Education and Communication adapted for all ages. Some of the components of the campaign will include quizzes, comics, brochure, poster.
Improve the social and public environment concerning epilepsy in Lao PDR.
Epilepsy awareness at different levels and with different sectors will be conducted by:
- Meeting with local authorities
- Conducting conferences with local and international companies (funds specifically for epilepsy)
- Celebrating Epilepsy Day in Lao PDR
- Drafting a policy document to improve access to care for epilepsy (for a national scaling-up)
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