Message from the Chair and Executive Director
Dear readers:
This month, we want to highlight several advocacy initiatives to improve access to pain treatment and palliative care.
Millions of people experience severe pain every year and don’t have access to adequate treatment. Many suffer other physical and emotional symptoms which are treatable and in many cases preventable. There are inexpensive treatments that can relieve most pain and other symptoms that can dramatically improve the quality of life of patients and their caregivers.
This situation is a result of a lack of educational experiences for health professionals in the assessment and treatment of pain and other symptoms, unduly restrictive laws and regulations which limit access to opioids for legitimate medical use, and a lack of recognition by policy makers and legislators about the dire needs of patients with life limiting conditions.
The campaigns and the initiatives that several organizations have adopted and implemented throughout the world during the last 6 months all point clearly to this suffering and the need to take the necessary steps to alleviate this global problem. They are:
1) British Medical Association (BMA) proposal to the World Medical Association: The BMA has submitted a proposal to the World Medical Association to adopt a resolution on the Access to Adequate Pain Treatment. To read the BMA resolution click on http://www.hospicecare.com/resources/pdf-docs/pain-relief-proposed-resolution_bma.pdf. How can you help? This proposal will be presented during the next WMA assembly in Montevideo, Uruguay, October 12-15, 2011. We need national medical associations from around the world to support and endorse this proposal so that it gets approved during the WMA assembly. You can help by contacting your Medical Associations, sending them the draft proposed by the BMA and asking them to send supportive emails to the International Federation of Health and Human Rights Organizations (IFHHRO) at [email protected] Ask them to vote in favor of the resolution when it is presented in the WMA assembly. This is a unique opportunity to bring global support for access to pain treatment. We need your help and support!
2) Treat the Pain: Treat the Pain is a campaign administered by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to advocate for high-quality pain treatment for all those who need it throughout the world, and to connect those with meaningful actions who would like to join the fight. The campaign will use the resources and voices of its members to promote and advocate for universal access to adequate pain relief. The campaign includes the release of LIFE Before Death, a series of videos filmed in 11 countries across North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. To read more about this campaign, watch the videos, and learn how you can become involved, click on http://www.treatthepain.com/
3) Palliative Care as a Human Right: Human Rights Watch (HRW) co-sponsored a side event on June 6th with the permanent mission of Uruguay and Brazil during the 17 th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The key note speaker of this side event was Professor Tabaré Vazquez, past president of Uruguay and current head of the radiotherapy service in the department of oncology at Uruguay’s National Institute of Oncology. In addition, there was a panel moderated by Mr. Diederik Lohman, senior researcher at the Health and Human Rights Division in HRW. On the panel were three board members of IAHPC: Dr Faith Mwangi-Powell, representing the African Association for Palliative Care, Dr M.R. Rajagopal from Pallium India and Ms. Liliana De Lima, representing the IAHPC. During this event, several issues were discussed including barriers to the access of pain treatment, the question of how palliative care fits within the HR conventions, what are the obligations of countries, and a discussion on how countries and permanent missions may engage with governments to improve access to care at the country level. HRW will continue working to see if there is a possibility of:
- a Human Rights Council resolution specifically on palliative care;
- ways to ensure that recommendations are made regarding palliative care as part of the Universal Period Review process; and
- ensuring the place of palliative care in discussions about the rights of older persons.
The photo below was taken during the panel session – from left to right are: Professor Tabaré Vazquez, Dr. Faith Mwangi-Powell, Mr. Diederik Lohman, Liliana De Lima, MHA and Dr. M.R. Rajagopal.
(photo courtesy of Dr. MR Rajagopal)
IAHPC is proud to be part of this movement and we will continue to help as much as possible to achieve these objectives in alliance with all of those around the world who want to eliminate needless suffering. We hope that these campaigns will also inspire all of you to take action and become a part of this much needed and exciting movement Until next month,
Roberto Wenk, MD
Chair, Board of Directors
Liliana De Lima, MHA
Executive Director
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