Epilepsy Day: Poverty denying patients to purchase costly medicines: Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui

KARACHI, Feb 13 (SABAH): Epilepsy expert and noted neurophysician of the country Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui has said that growing poverty and inflation is denying a lot of patients to purchase costly medicines.

She was talking to media at a free medical camp for the epilepsy patients organized jointly by Epilepsy Foundation Pakistan, Aafiyat Welfare Trust with cooperation of Hilton Pharma on Tuesday on the occasion of the International Epilepsy Day.

She said in Pakistan the patients of epilepsy and their families face three major issues. The first issue is that they are not ready to believe that it is a ‘disease’. They consider it as superstition and try their best to hide it from the society.

The second issue is of proper diagnosis as there is a dearth of epilepsy experts in our country. Due to improper diagnosis treatment becomes difficult. The third issue is that many epilepsy drugs are simply not available in Pakistan and if they are imported they go beyond the reach of the common man.

She said that spreading of awareness about this disease amongst the masses is very important. She said that this is an ordinary mental disease but there are a lot of misconceptions about it; though, with a proper treatment is could be successfully treated. It could be controlled 70 percent with medicines. Like the patients of blood pressure and diabetes, epilepsy patients can live a normal life by taking medicines daily.

Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui said due to high poverty is Pakistan epilepsy treatment is too costly for many patients. The government sector and philanthropic circles should play their role in affordable treatment of epilepsy. She appealed the government to declare epilepsy drugs the status of life-saving drugs and special subsidies.

In the camp, Dr. Fowzia Siddiqui said Dr. Ubaid Khanzada examined the epilepsy patients where free medical tests and medication was available for deserving patients.