The partnership between SIN and DREAM, active for five years, has opened new horizons for the African continent, fostering a deeper understanding of its healthcare challenges and creating opportunities to showcase a healthcare system vastly different from our own: that of community health centers, the backbone of African healthcare. Over 90% of patients in Africa are treated in these centers rather than in the few and overcrowded hospitals. Building on the successes in HIV treatment, the DREAM Program has demonstrated that high-quality care can be delivered through community health centers, bringing assistance closer to the people. These centers are now equipped to manage neurological diseases like epilepsy, one of the continent’s greatest healthcare challenges.

Epilepsy affects over 20 million people in Africa, while stroke has emerged as one of the leading causes of death, surpassing diseases like tuberculosis and malaria. These statistics highlight a significant shift in Africa’s health landscape, influenced by global phenomena such as demographic transitions and the impact of globalization on public health.

During the opening ceremony of the congress, the SIN-DREAM partnership was presented as an example of innovative collaboration and healthcare solidarity, showcasing tangible results achieved through the program. A workshop dedicated to sub-Saharan neurology delved into the challenges and opportunities for treating epilepsy and other neurological conditions in settings with extremely limited access to care. This workshop provided Italian neurologists with an opportunity to engage with their African counterparts, exchanging knowledge and strategies to further strengthen this collaborative healthcare effort.

The work that DREAM and SIN are carrying out in Africa represents for many a pathway toward sustainable and lasting change in epilepsy care, in contexts where treatment is often unavailable. The congress emphasized how this ongoing collaboration has effectively developed high-quality and sustainable epilepsy treatments, dispelling the myth that specialized healthcare is unattainable in such environments.

This commitment also carries profound social significance: providing care to people who would otherwise have no access to treatment is an act of justice and humanity, lifting thousands out of despair and restoring hope and gratitude. Beyond the medical impact, it builds bridges toward peace. As highlighted during the congress, healed hearts are more open to dialogue and reconciliation, laying the foundations for peaceful and inclusive coexistence.

In this way, the SIN National Congress demonstrated how neurology can be a discipline not only capable of medical and scientific innovation but also one that delivers profound social benefits, contributing to the creation of a fairer and more compassionate world.