9 M Pinoys suffering from pain — experts

Some nine million Filipinos suffer from unnecessary pain due to "opio-phobic" doctors who are hesitant to prescribe pain medicine for fear of side effects and possible substance abuse, medical experts said yesterday.

Pain Society of the Philippines (PSP) president Dr. Henry Lu noted that a household survey done this year showed that eight million to nine million Filipinos suffer chronic pain because only a few doctors underwent training to prescribe opiates or pain-killing medicines.

Chronic pain pertains to pain that last for more than three months. The pain sufferers covered by the survey were mostly sick with chronic illnesses like arthritis and osteoarthritis.

"It is inhumane that many people experience pain when they should not. We have medicines to control pain but we lack the doctors to prescribe them," Lu added.

According to Dr. Salvador Brodit Jr. a pain specialist at the Pain Management Center of the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City, only a few doctors in the Philippines want to prescribe opiates because of the fear that they may have side effects.

Aside from this, he noted, many doctors also avoid recommending opiates because of apprehensions that their patients would abuse the substance.

"It is sensible to differentiate between addiction and tolerance to pain medicines. It is really important to educate our doctors about pain management," he told a press briefing at the Department of Health (DOH) offices in Sta. Cruz, Manila yesterday.

The DOH and the PSP are now out to raise awareness about pain control and management.

From Nov. 29 to Dec. 2, the Philippines will host the "First Congress of the Association of Southeast Asian Pain Societies." Thousands of pain specialists from the region are expected to attend the event.

On Oct. 15, the world will celebrate the "Global Day Against Pain" by focusing on the pain suffered by older persons.

Under the present setup, only doctors who underwent training and other requirements can have "yellow pads" that are used to prescribe opiates needed by patients in severe or specialized pain.

Lu claimed that in the list of the World Health Organization in the 1980s, the Philippines was "way down" in its list of medical use of morphine, one of the most popular opiates.

In an earlier interview, Lu said that even in the medical curriculum, pain management is not given enough focus so doctors are left with little understanding about pain.

For his part, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III maintained that he would initiate a review of the health care system to ensure that pain is addressed.

"We must strike a balance between substance abuse and pain management."

Dr. Antonio Sison, chairman of the Global Day Against Pain celebration, maintained it has been "culturally" accepted among Filipinos that pain is part and parcel of an illness.

"That’s one (mistake) we have to address. We have to raise awareness and sensitivity about pain. We should not allow anyone to suffer from unnecessary pain," Sison said.