AIIMS, Bhubaneswar has launched a Brain Awareness Programme to educate the people on prevention of brain diseases and their early detection so that they can be treated successfully.
Brain diseases are the third most common diseases after cardiovasular ailments and cancer. While head injuries due to accidents are on a steep rise, with estimates pointing at a prevalence rate of 400 to 500 per one lakh population in the country, incidence of stroke and brain tumours are on an alarming rise.Epilepsy is also a major brain disease that has been not only neglected but also underdiagnosed. Over five to six million new cases of epilepsy are diagnosed every year and there are more than 2 crore prople suffering from it in the country at any point of time.
“But a major chunk of these patients do not receive treatment even if these disease can be cured completely. As high as 95 per cent of the patients can be totally cured with regular medication. But many of these patients are treated like insane people and taken to tantriks or faith healers due to lack of awareness in the population,” one of the leading neurosurgeons of the country and Director AIIMS Prof Ashok Mohapatra said.
Similarly, brain tumour, if diagnosed early can be cured by surgery. But most of the patients come in advanced stages. “The brain awareness programme has been initiated so that not only the common public but also the medical professionals can detect the diseases early and subject the patients to proper treatment”, Prof Mohapatra said.