Barriers to headache care in India and efforts to improve the situation

With the recent launch of the joint Global Campaign to reduce the burden of headache by the World Headache Alliance (WHA), the International Headache Society (IHS), the European Headache Federation (EHF), and WHO, a welcome focus on the management of migraine is expected. Migraine management is influenced by numerous factors that are regionally different around the world. Through a discussion of the "barriers to care" of migraine in India, I attempt to appraise the academic headache community of the need for region-specific guidelines derived from the standard guidelines. Some of these barriers are within the control of the patient, some are within the control of the treating physician, and many are beyond the control of both. The efforts needed to remedy the situation are also discussed. Hopefully this article will serve to emphasise again the well-known maxim that treatment of migraine is much more than just a prescription!