Aust. expert says pain management inadequate

Press, 20 January 1982, Page 2

Aust. expert says pain management inadequate

PA Auckland New Zealanders have every right to be appalled about the inadequacy of pain management in this country, according to an Adelaide anaesthetics expert, Professor Michael Cousins. Professor Cousins, from the Flinders Medical Centre, says that thousands of people are suffering unnecessary pain because of inadequate money, staff, and research in the field of pain management. He is a guest speaker at this week’s sixth Asian-Aus-tralasian Congress of Anaesthesiologists. “Pain is the Cinderella

aspect of medical management,” he said. "There are some excellent people in New. Zealand who have the clinical experience and research training to play a big part in filling the inadequacies. But there are insufficient people who are adequately trained and insufficient funds to develop further improvements.” The public were seemingly unconcerned about the inadequate pain relief that they must have seen in their friends and relatives, he said. “They feel that once the problem is over, there was nothing that could have been done about it anyway,” he

said. “It was horrendous, but it would never happen to them. It is similar to the attitude people have to the road toll.” He said that individuals had expressed their horror to him privately, but people had not got together to form a group concerned about the problem. “We have a Cancer Foundation and a Kidney Foundation,” he said. “Maybe we should have a Pain Foundation, with lay. people evaluating the problem and deciding to set target areas for directing funds for better clinical management and research."