Nawanshahr: Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMC) Ludhiana in collaboration with the Punjab Government has launched the “Stop-Epilepsy Project” in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district with funding from DBT - Welcome Trust India Alliance. Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Balbir Singh today formally inaugurated the “Stop-Epilepsy Project” at District Hospital, Nawanshahr.
The main objective of this project is to improve the capacity of medical staff in primary care for the treatment and management of epilepsy. The project will focus on standardizing the care of people suffering from epilepsy. On this occasion, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Balbir Singh highlighted the importance of providing epilepsy treatment on a priority basis for public health protection. He stressed on the need for the crucial role of primary health care workers for the treatment and management of epilepsy in the initial stages.
Dr. Balbir Singh informed that this project has been launched in three districts of the country. Which include Nawanshahr in Punjab, Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh and Godavari Bhimavaram in Andhra Pradesh. He said that epilepsy is not a disease in itself, but a disorder of the nervous system related to the brain, in which seizures occur. Epilepsy can occur in a person of any age. This disease affects about one crore people in the country, including 3 lakh people in Punjab. Despite the possibility of treatment with simple, inexpensive medicines, there is a huge gap in treatment. 70 percent of people with this disease remain deprived of treatment.
If left untreated, drug-resistant epilepsy can cause 2-3 times more risk of premature mortality than the general population. However, with proper treatment, epilepsy patients can live a healthy life. This will make the dream of providing better treatment to epilepsy patients come true. Talking about the causes of epilepsy, he said that epilepsy can be caused by brain tumors, head injury or brain tuberculosis, brain stress, brain inflammation, brain blood vessel defects, mental retardation, brain infection, alcohol, hard drugs and other drugs.
At the end of the ceremony, Dr. Satwinderpal Singh, Senior Medical Officer of District Hospital, Nawanshahr, thanked all the dignitaries present at the ceremony and said that this project will help in providing better treatment to epilepsy patients.

Home safety tips:-
According to experts, people with epilepsy can get injured. There is a possibility of getting burnt while working on the stove. All this can happen at home too, so follow the following rules to stay safe at home:-

1. If you are alone in the room or in the bathhouse, do not close the doors of the room.

2. If a seizure occurs while bathing in a bathtub, there may be a risk of drowning.
3. Cook on a high stand while cooking. If there is a stove on the ground, during an epileptic seizure, it may fall on it and burn. Try to use a microwave.
4. If a person affected by epilepsy has a seizure while doing fire-related or electrical work, it may be life-threatening. Therefore, do not do fire-related or electrical work.

What can happen if you leave medicine in the box?
1-More seizures may occur continuously.
2-You may have to be admitted to the hospital.
3-You may have to go to the emergency (immediate) hospital.
4-You may have an accident, get injured. You may also get burned due to standing near the fire.
5-You may die suddenly.