Epilepsy, in a resource-poor country like Pakistan, encounters a scarcity of specialists along with specialists ‘skill gap in epileptology. Epilepsy should primarily be treated by Primary Care Physicians (PCP) and referred to specialists in case of any management problems. Thus, the specialists as well as the PCPs need to be equipped with knowledge about epilepsy and its management to confidently manage the disorder. This is extremely important because if the patient is not adequately managed and continues to have seizures despite compliance with the doctor’s prescription, they tend to lose hope in medical treatment and start indulging in age-old misconceptions. CECP-NEC and CECP-ESP have undertaken initiatives to train PCPs and appraise the specialists in the latest trends of epilepsy management all over the country. They are encouraged to discuss their problematic cases with us via email or with the patient’s single visit to NEC for proper evaluation and treatment; then to be followed up by the primary caregiver. In addition, allied medical staff, paramedical staff and health workers are also trained to help identify and refer to the nearest doctor.
ASEPA-ANZAN EEG Teaching Courses
The Asian Epilepsy Academy (ASEPA) and the Australian and New Zealand Association of Neurologists (ANZAN) in collaboration with the Epilepsy Association of Pakistan and National Epilepsy Centre, Karachi. host this much-required practical teaching course in EEG interpretation. EEG reading is complex, and Pakistan lacks any formal teaching course for this important diagnostic test. The course lays down the foundation for basic EEG reading on which the specialist builds up his/her expertise by spending as much time in EEG labs as possible, performing EEGs themselves and interpreting it independently before it is reported by a specialist. To quote Prof John Dunne, a passionate EEG trainer, “No EEG is better than a poorly recorded and wrongly interpreted EEG.”
In 2000, Prof. Ernie Somerville and Dr. Andrew Bleasel formulated and initiated this distinctive and successful EEG Teaching Course for Australian & New Zealand neurology trainees. In 2010 they graciously extended it to the entire Asian and Oceanian region by collaborating with ASEPA. The EEG Course provides theoretical and practical learning of reading and reporting of routine adult and paediatric EEG. This two-day intensive workshop consists of four 90-minute sessions each day. Each session consists of a 30-minute didactic lecture followed by a 60-minute, small group, interactive tutorial where EEG samples are demonstrated and discussed under the direction of an expert EEG tutor from the Asia-Oceania region. Topics include basic technical aspects of EEG, the normal awake and asleep EEG, and epileptiform and non-epileptiform abnormalities in adults and children. Many postgraduates and junior neurologists have benefited from the workshops held biennially.
ASEPA-EAP Epilepsy Teaching Courses
The Asian Epilepsy Academy (ASEPA) the educational wing of ILAE-Asia Oceania collaborates with the Epilepsy Association of Pakistan (EAP) and National Epilepsy Centre (NEC) to conduct comprehensive courses on epilepsy for neurology postgraduates and fresh Neurologists. The themes of topics varied, and epilepsy-related.
ASEPA-ASNA EEG Certification Exam
ASEPA-ASNA EEG certification Part-1 written exam has also been held. We would like to encourage more trainees and fresh neurologists to take this exam.
Three-Tiered Epilepsy Workshops for Neurology Trainees
Three full-day workshops at monthly intervals for groups of neurology trainees were conducted in the main cities of Pakistan to provide a comprehensive understanding of epilepsy management. The final round consisted of hands-on experience in the evaluation of real patients and discussing their diagnosis and management in small groups headed by senior neurologists.
Edhi Memorial Lectures/Workshops for Primary Care Physicians & Medical Students
Workshops for specialists, primary care physicians, medical students, paramedics, and the public have been undertaken frequently. Since 2017, to honour Pakistan’s ultimate humanitarian and social worker Mr. Abdul Sattar Edhi all these lectures/workshops have been named Edhi Memorial Workshops / Lectures. Mr Edhi also had epilepsy and is the Ambassador of CECP-NEC AND CECP-ESP’s epilepsy campaign and remains the iconic figure for people with epilepsy.
