Primary care centres will offer treatment for Parkinson's, epilepsy as brain health gains focus

The Union health ministry said it has decided to offer neurological care at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, the government's primary healthcare centres, to combat the increasing incidence of neurological disorders such as Parkinson's, epilepsy and dementia among Indians.

A notice from the ministry, which Mint has seen, said a National Task Force on Brain Health, nine-person committee of physicians from AIIMS, NIMHANS and IHBAS, has been set up to provide additional guidance on the infrastructure and amenities to be included for neurological care at these centres. 

The committee will has until 15 July to provide its recommendations and services will start after that, the ministry said.

The ministry's notice, issued on 18 April, notes that disorders of the nervous system have been a leading cause of so-called disability adjusted life years, and the second-leading cause of death globally, accounting for nine million deaths a year.

The task force will recommend ways to improve accessibility and quality of brain health at the primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare levels; specific actions to create a robust system to diagnose, treat and care for patients with neurological disorders; and ways to create rehabilitation infrastructure to help improve the well-being of people living with neurological conditions.

Last month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said a major new study by The Lancet Neurology showed that in 2021, more than three billion people worldwide were living with a neurological condition.