Celebrating World Parkinson’s Day in Ethiopia with Dr Seid Gugssa

We are marking World Parkinson’s Day 2026 with a guest post from Dr Seid Gugssa, a neurologist at Addis Ababa University, based in Bishoftu, Oromia, and Co-Investigator for the TraPCAf Project.

This year, we marked World Parkinson’s Day a week earlier, as the official date coincided with Ethiopian Easter. The event was officially opened by the State Minister, Her Excellency Dr Hiwot Solomon, who delivered insightful opening remarks.

During the event, I had the opportunity to address attendees on two key areas.

First, I spoke about the collaboration between Addis Ababa University and TraPCAf to advance Parkinson’s disease research. A major highlight of this partnership is the initiation of a clinical trial in Ethiopia exploring the use of Mucuna pruriens as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease. This work is particularly important in low- and middle-income countries, where accessible and cost-effective treatment options are urgently needed.

The proposed research was very well received by both the State Minister and the media. This led to further opportunities to share our work through televised interviews, as well as features in local Amharic and English publications, including Addis Zemen and The Reporter. In these interviews, I discussed the potential benefits of Mucuna pruriens, the progress made so far, and its future prospects in improving Parkinson’s care.

The second focus of my address was the collaboration between Addis Ababa University, the Ethiopian Neurologists Association, and the Parkinson’s Support Organisation – Ethiopia. Through these partnerships, we have been able to advocate for policy development by producing policy briefs and sharing findings through presentations and discussions with key stakeholders. These include the State Minister, the Ministry of Health’s Mental, Neurological and Substance Use Directorate, and the wider public.

Importantly, these efforts have contributed to the development of Primary Healthcare Guidelines for neurological disorders by the Ethiopian Ministry of Health, which are expected to be finalised in the near future.

Special acknowledgement should also be extended to Dr Catherine Dotchin (Co-I UK) for spearheading these initiatives and driving this impactful work forward.

Stay up to date with the TraPCAf Project:

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Last modified: Fri, 10 Apr 2026 16:50:15 BST