Mundih Noelar Njohjam, a medical doctor, researcher, social activist, and Epilepsy advocate. She earned her MD degree at the University of Yaoundé in 2019 where she graduated with first-class honors. In 2020, she started a non-profit organization Epilepsy Awareness and Aid Foundation that seeks to raise awareness on epilepsy while improving access to health services for persons with epilepsy. When not seeing patients, she is raising awareness on Epilepsy through school programs, educative talk in communities, social media, and local media outlets. She lobbied for the creation of an Epilepsy Clinic where over 200 persons with Epilepsy are receiving adequate care and follow-up. She also collaborated a US-based NGO to provide free anti-epileptic drugs monthly to over 40 underprivileged persons living with Epilepsy. She is currently working with an NGO to provide free electroencephalographic equipment to facilitate the management of epilepsy in the North West region of Cameroon. Dr. Mundih is currently undertaking a MSc in Global Health online with Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine under a Commonwealth scholarship.
“Generosity to me is using one's skills, knowledge and resources to help those in need.”
The prevalence of epilepsy in Cameroon is amongst the highest in the world and most of the people with epilepsy do not receiving appropriate care and support. Shortages of trained health workers, limited diagnostic equipment, inadequate anti-epileptic drug supplies, ignorance, cultural beliefs, and social stigma contribute to the large treatment gap for epilepsy in Cameroon. Burdened by these, I decided to create this organization which has as main objective to raise awareness and educate the public on epilepsy while providing assistance to people living with epilepsy. Through this organization, over 100,000 persons have been sensitized and educated on epilepsy using local and national media outlets, community outreach and school programs, prompting behavioural changes towards persons living with epilepsy. We have assisted over 200 persons with epilepsy to have access to high quality and affordable health care services Using my communication and leadership skills, I lobbied for the creation of the first ever epilepsy clinic in the North West Region in Cameroon where there is an ongoing socio-political crisis. I volunteered to provide the much needed leadership for the clinic. People living with epilepsy come to the clinic on a regular basis to receive adequate treatment and follow-up. We have significantly increased the total number of people living with epilepsy who come to the hospital through community sensitization and education programmes. I also fostered the partnership between this clinic and an international NGO based in the USA. Through this partnership, 45 underprivileged persons living with epilepsy are receiving free antiepileptic medications which has helped them to become seizure-free and consequently improve their quality of life.
