Although Jordanians consume the most painkillers in the region, more needs to be done to improve access to drugs, health experts said on Sunday.
According to international statistics quoted by the Jordanian Pain Society (JPS), Jordan was ranked 59th internationally and first regionally in the consumption of painkillers in 2008.
However, JPS Secretary General Ahmad Khatib said that Jordan’s consumption of morphine stands at 2 milligrammes (mg) per capita, well below the international consumption rate of 6mg per capita.
According to Khatib, more efforts are needed to improve access to painkillers in Jordan in order to reach international averages.
“Over 75 per cent of patients in the Kingdom who need painkillers cannot afford them,” Khatib claimed at a press conference to announce the first International Jordanian Pain Society Conference, which opens today.
He pointed out that Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) and Ministry of Health regulations allow patients to obtain painkiller prescriptions for a maximum 10-day period.
“Some patients come from remote areas to fill a prescription. Having to refill a prescription every 10 days makes it difficult for them to receive medicine regularly,” Khatib added.
Another reason for the sub-average rates, he noted, is that some health institutions and physicians believe that the use of painkillers leads to addiction and often refuse to prescribe the drugs to their patients.
Hussein Abu Khudair, who heads the department of anaesthesiology and pain management at the King Hussein Cancer Centre (KHCC) said more should be done to train doctors and nurses about pain management.
He highlighted efforts to provide regular pain education to physicians and nurses at the KHCC, in addition to general physicians at other hospitals.
He noted that the KHCC pain management team provides training to medics at other hospitals across the country.
Participants at the three-day conference, organised by the KHCC in cooperation with the International Association for the Study of Pain, are expected to discuss multidisciplinary pain management, the role of nursing and pharmacology in mitigating pain and means to raise awareness of pain management in developing countries.
Participants will also come up with strategies to improve pain management in the Kingdom and analyse the current situation of pain treatment in the country, according to Abu Khudair.
Jordan Times