All pain, no gain: Health experts express concern over lack of pain relief services

Say acute post-surgery pains remain under-treated.

ISLAMABAD:

Health experts have expressed concern over the absence of acute, chronic, cancer, and labour pain relief services in a majority of public and private hospitals.

They were speaking at an international conference on pain management at Shifa International Hospital (SIH) on Saturday.

The conference was attended by a large number of anaesthesiologists, pain management consultants, doctors and medical officers.

SIH Surgical ICU director and consultant anaesthesiologist Prof Brig (retd) Muhammad Zameer said every day, numerous surgeries were being carried out in hospitals, but acute post-surgery pain remained widely undertreated, even though it required special attention.

He said that morphine and other narcotic painkillers had a very crucial role in chronic cancer pain, acute pain, post operative and labour pains, but these were not available in hospitals.

“It is because no one takes the trouble to get into the time-consuming procedure to procure these drugs for their hospitals,” he said.

Prof Zameer said in Pakistan, cancer patients were usually given injections to get rid of acute pain, even though it can be substituted by oral doses of morphine, which is not a costly drug and is more effective as a painkiller.

The government should keep check on the misuse of morphine, but it should be made available to patients,” he said, adding that this would decrease healthcare costs in the country.

He also expressed concern over paediatrics pain relief facilities, which were a completely neglected field in Pakistan.

“There is a need to establish such facilities at every healthcare unit at all levels and also to formulate guidelines for various child-related pain syndromes,” he suggested.

CMH Rawalpindi Anaesthesia Department Head Maj-Gen Dr Amjad Iqbal said the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan (FCPS) has approved specialisation in pain management as a subspecialty of anaesthesia.

“The programme would be introduced after a formal notification. It is a big breakthrough in developing this important field in Pakistan,” he said.

Islamic International Medical College Anaesthesiology Prof Brig Muhammad Saleem said in Pakistan, there is a dire need to create awareness among the general public about the use of painkillers.

“People, especially women, keep consuming two-to-four pain killers a day, considering it the best and easiest way to get rid of pain. But they do it without knowing the harmful effects on their bodies,” he said.

He said that people also seek pain treatment from hakims and ‘pehlwans’ who usually make their case worst.

“A person should immediately consult a physician if pain in any part of the body remains for more than a week. They should also avoid taking painkillers without a doctor’s prescription,” he suggested.

Ozone therapy

Leading anaesthesiologist and pain management expert at Nottingham University Hospital, UK, Dr Zaki Hussain stressed on the need to introduce ozone therapy at every hospital for pain management.

“Ozone is a very powerful sterilant gas to kill bacteria and could be used for pain relief. Although the number of people treated with ozone is small, the results are 100 per cent,” he said.

Dr Hussain said this therapy could be given to a patient suffering from chronic pain before undergoing a surgery.

“This can help the patient get rid of the pain, even from the surgery,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 23^rd, 2014.