Mangaluru: As the Brain Health Clinic at Wenlock District Hospital, launched in Dec 2023, gears up to celebrate World Brain Day on Tuesday, efforts are on to expand its services to taluk-level centres.Superintendent of Wenlock Hospital, Dr DS Shivaprakash, told TOI that the brain health clinic is currently available only at the district level. However, there are plans to establish similar centres in all taluks shortly. At present, people from across the district must travel to Wenlock Hospital to access these services. Setting up clinics at the taluk level would make it significantly more convenient for patients, he said.He said the facility at the Wenlock Hospital, set up under the Karnataka Brain Health Initiative (KaBHI), a collaborative effort between the state govt and Nimhans Bengaluru, aims to deliver comprehensive neurological care across various levels of the public healthcare system. This initiative focuses on both the prevention and treatment of neurological conditions free of cost. In case patients require advanced treatment, they will be referred to Nimhans, he said.The brain health clinic at the hospital already offers consultation for nearly 13,000 patients from various parts of the nation. Further, treatment and care were given to nearly 7,000 patients. Doctors from the Wenlock Hospital and neurologists from the KMC Hospital offer treatment at the centre, he said.The clinic, which is functional in coordination with Nimhans Bengaluru, offers treatment for diseases related to the brain and neurological disorders. Stroke, dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, neuropathy, meningitis, epilepsy, headache, and other similar cases are taken care of through the clinic. Further, patients are offered physiotherapy, speech therapy, psychological counselling, and nursing care under the programme. People may consult the team of doctors who offer treatment on an outpatient or inpatient basis at the centre, which is staffed with a multidisciplinary care team comprising a physician, physiotherapist, speech therapist, psychologist, nurse, and district coordinator.Various awareness programmes will be organised as part of World Brain Day, which is being celebrated with the theme ‘brain health for all ages’, in the district, he said.
