A reader sent a link to a recent NYT editorial about the lack of pain medications in some countries.  The writer of the editorial injured his leg while traveling in Africa, and was dismayed to find that opioid pain medications were in limited supply, with only enough for patients admitted to the hospital.

The writer went on to describe a number of developing countries where pain medications are in short supply, and in some cases totally unavailable.  He described hospitals and clinics where he was visited, where patients await treatment for horrible injuries without so much as a tablet of Tylenol.

I don’t want to rewrite the editorial, and I cannot copy it, for obvious copyright reasons– so you’ll have to follow the link.  The story mentions the efforts of a group called ‘GAPRI’, for Global Access to Pain Relief, that tries to reduce barriers to effect pain relief measures in developing countries.

Some people have responded to my prior posts with the opinion that the efforts to control narcotics by the DEA and US Justice Dept, for example in the Schneider case, will lead to similar problems in this country.  Frankly, I don’t see it.  Yes, there are doctors who fear prescribing opioids, some for good reason and some for reasons that are probably illogical.  But we are far from the situation described in the NYT editorial.

And that’s a good thing.

African child photo available from Shutterstock.

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    Last reviewed: 29 Jan 2012