IGAP is a 10-year World Health Organisation (WHO) plan which has been adopted by 192 member states and aims to improve access to treatment and care and quality of life of people with neurological disorders, their carers and families as well as promote brain health across the life-course. It includes actions to be undertaken by all stakeholders to attain the global targets.

IGAP Strategic objectives: there are 5 objectives addressing issues such as policy and governance; effective, timely and responsive diagnosis, treatment, and care; promotion and prevention; research, innovation, and information systems; and a public health response to epilepsy.

Learn more: visit the WHO website: CLICK HERE

EPNS Vision: 

Ensure the IGAP is implemented and targets attained in each European country at a national level with the voice of child neurology heard.

EPNS Roadmap:

DATA GATHERING:

January 2024: survey sent to 44 European countries to establish extent of paediatric neurology involvement with national brain councils and national brain plan implementation.

October 2024: survey sent to 44 European countries to to consolidate the situation in Europe and work towards strengthening our IGAP action plan and advocacy voice

FRAMEWORK: February 2024: EPNS IGAP policy framework

AWARENESS:

March 2024: One EPNS IGAP representative in 40 European countries appointed. Representatives invited to a Zoom meeting on 14 March 2024. During the meeting Dr Vanessa Cavallera, Technical Officer and Paediatric Neurologist from the World Health Organisation (WHO), presented an overview of the IGAP plus an introduction on to how to go about implementing at a national level.

September 2024: The 2nd Zoom meeting took place on 26 September 2024 and Wolfgang Grisold, President of the World Federation of Neurology attended as our guest speaker to introduce the WHO IGAP toolkit

COLLABORATION: communications and engagement with paediatric neurology stakeholders to begin.

SUPPORT: WHO IGAP toolkit to be launched by the end of 2024 and shared with all EPNS IGAP representatives. Continued support to be available from the EPNS and WHO, plus follow-up meetings. Resources available:

EPNS IGAP representatives:

The IGAP needs to be implemented at a national level. The EPNS thanks and celebrates the involvement of all EPNS IGAP representatives and looks forward to working together to make the EPNS IGAP vision a reality.

Country First name Last name
Albania Artan Haruni
Armenia
Austria Rainer Seidl
Azerbaijan Aytan Mammadbayli
Belgium Roberta Cilio
Bosnia Herzegovina Feriha Catibusic
Bulgaria Ivan Ivanov
Croatia Nina Barisic
Cyprus Paola Nicolaides
Czech Republic Pavel Kršek
Denmark Maria Miranda
Estonia Inga Talvik
Finland Johanna Uusimaa
France Nadia Bahi-Buisson
Georgia Sophia Bakhtadze
Germany Lucia Gerstl
Greece Stella Mouskou
Hungary Katalin Hollody
Iceland Margret Oskarsdottir
Ireland Mary O’Regan
Israel Adi Aran
Italy Raffaele Falsaperla
Kazakhstan Altynshash Jaxybayeva
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia Mikus Diriks
Lithuania
Macedonia Olga Jotovska
Moldova Svetlana Hadjiu
Netherlands Deborah Sival
Norway Espen Lien
Poland Maria Mazurkiewicz- Bełdzińska
Portugal Monica Vasconcelos
Romania Cristina Pomeran
Russia Valery Zykov
Serbia Jasna Jancic
Slovakia Miriam Kolnikova
Slovenia Natalija Krajnc
Spain Rocio Sánchez-Carpintero Abad
Sweden Ronny Wickstrom
Switzerland Annette Hackenberg
Turkey Dilek Yalnizoglu
Ukraine Alla Nechay
United Kingdom Anne-Marie Childs
Uzbekistan Shaanvar Shamansukov