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09 September 2021 RE: Intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders (GAP). Dear Health Minister, N eurological disorders, were added as the 5 th non-communicable disease priority area at the UN High-Level M eeting on NCDs in 2018 . Consequently, they were also added as a priority area in the EU4Health Programme , which reads: “Non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, mental illness, neurological disorders , chronic respiratory disease and diabetes represent major causes of disability, ill-health, health-related retirement, and premature death in the Union, and cause a considerable social and economic impact”. It adds that to decrease the impact of NCDs , and reach the SDG 3.4 target , “it is essential to provide an integrated response that focuses on health promotion and disease prevention across relevant sectors”. The European community is now presented with a unique and timely opportunity to provide such integrated and cross-sectorial response to neurological disorders. In November 2020, the World Health Assembly adopted resolution WHA73.10 requesting WHO to develop an Intersectoral global action plan on epilepsy and other neurological disorders (GAP). The EU and all its member states co-sponsored the resolution. The draft GAP has now been published and various consultations have been taking place thereafter. The European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA) , as well as the OneNeurology Partnership , which we co-founded, strongly endorses the content of the draft GAP and calls on the EU Member States to support the development of an ambitious plan as well as already begin to consider its implementation. The Plan builds up on already existing work in the area of neurological disorders. It includes a broad range of concrete actions spanning brain health promotion and disease prevention, early detection and diagnosis, timely interventions , access to safe, affordable and effective treatments captured in an integrated care model , finishing with rehabilitation and palliative care . It encourages generating more data on protective &amp; risk factors, strengthen ing the evidence base for investment and scaling-up of effective interventions, and bolster ing the creation and uptake of evidence-based guidelines for cost-effective, coordinated healthcare interventions . Investing in this holistic model can bring measurable health and economic gains to European countries. This includes decreasing the incidence of neurological disorders, improv ing survival rate s , reduc ing complications and disability, lowering treatment costs and – ultimately – ensuring a better quality of life for all those affected. This can be best achieved when individual countries develop dedicated neurological/brain health national plans, encompassing al l major neurological disorders ; with a dedicated budget line. Such a bundled approach is the most effective way of addressing a disease area ( e.g. cancer plans ). This is particularly true in neurology : t here are more than 400 neurological disorders and, given their huge collective burden, we need a strategy addressing com mon challenges and solutions . This is why creation of national plans is the first target of the GAP, with a goal of 75% of countries developing those in the next ten years. Europe should lead the way . T herefore , we call on the EU Member States support with the following asks : The EU should develop an EU-wide n eurology/brain health strategy The EU4Health annual work programmes must prioritize actions rel ated to neurological disorders The EU member states should request the Commission to provide an exchange platform in the form of an EU Joint Action (or similar), to facilit ate creation of national plans The EU Steering Group on Health Promotion, Disease Prevention and Management of NCDs should discuss all those issues and make neurology an annual priority to align with the GAP adoption and implementation. ### SEE PAGE 2 FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION ### Letter sent on behalf of the OneNeurology Global Partnership which currently includes the below: left 94757 0 0 Neurological disorders are conditions of the central and peripheral nervous system – all connected to the brain. They include neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, cerebrovascular diseases including stroke, neuro-immunological disorders such as multiple sclerosis, brain tumours, traumatic disorders due to head trauma, infectious diseases like meningitis, and neurological disorders as a result of malnutrition. They also encompass diseases such as migraine and epilepsy, as well as many rare an d neglected diseases. T here are more than 400 neurological diseases! 3656965 89535 0 0 What is their burden? Neurological disorders are t he third leading cause of Disability Adjusted Life Years and the third leading cause of deaths in Europe. In 2017, 1.1 million people died due to neurological disorders in the EU – almost 20% of total deaths. O ver the past 30 years, the number of deaths due to neurological disord ers has increased by almost 40%. The NCD Countdown 2030 stated that the risk of dying from neurological conditions between birth and 80 years of age increased for more t han half of countries , making them the fastest-growing cause of death among NCDs. right 109874 0 0 left 148590 0 0 One in three people has a neurological disorder at some point in their lifetime worldwide and in Europe . The cost of neurological disorders in Europe alone was 336 billion euros annually in 2010. This is more than any other priority NCD area . Has there been any progress? I ncredible advances and breakthroughs have been made in the last decades in terms of both better understanding the human brain, as well developing new therapies that can treat a growing range of neurological disorders. We are at an inflexion point that calls for a comprehensive and cross -sectoral approach to neurological disorders at the global and regional level . Saatja: Joanna <[email protected]> Saadetud: 10.09.2021 19:08 Adressaat: SM Info <[email protected]> Koopia: <[email protected]>; <[email protected]> Teema: WHO Europe and the EU adoption and implementation of the Intersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders 2022 - 2031 To: Minister of Health and Labour of Estonia, Mr Tanel Kiik Dear Minister Kiik, In view of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe meeting happening later this month and its agenda point: Matters arising from resolutions and decisions of the WHA and the EB - (b) Resolutions and decision - Resolution WHA73.10 Global actions on epilepsy and other neurological disorders, please find attached a letter from the European Federation of Neurological Associations (EFNA), as well as the OneNeurology Partnership. We would very much appreciate Estonias support to our calls included in the letter, and we would welcome an opportunity to speak with the Ministrys representative to discuss the outlined developments in more details. Furthermore, we take the liberty to attach the OneNeurology/EFNA synopsised comments to the GAP consultations. They were developed based on the extensive feedback that many neurology-related organizations provided during the GAP consultations. Lastly, kindly be informed that we will be organizing a OneNeurology EU Summit which will take place on 17th December, 10:00 13:00 CET, under the Auspices of the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2021. A dedicated invitation with the Summits agenda will be sent separately. With kind regards, Joanna Kniaz __________________________ | |