New Alliance to fight for 100 million patients with pain chronic.
Brussels, 2011-December in presence of several members of the main political parties, a representative of the Commissioner of John Dalli and President of EFIC, the Pan-European Organization of professionals in the health of the research of pain, the new Alliance Pain Alliance Europe (PAE) in the European Parliament has presented officially. This Alliance of patients, a network of 18 NGOs, so far, representing 11 European countries, aims to raise awareness in society about the people who live with constant pain without proper treatment and understanding of what this implies in the quality of life of the individual. Let alone the billions EUR which lost the European economy in hours of work each year.
One in four Europeans suffers intense pain, only in the 27 EU countries there are 100 million that this disorder, of which half neither treated nor are taken seriously. While, the orthopaedic and cancer rheumatic pains are disorders recognized by many groups that promote their recognition and appropriate treatment, chronic pain as a disease is virtually an unknown for health professionals and the public in general.
Pain relief is a human right, as it has been recognized by the World Health Organization (who) and Human Rights Watch, therefore, the EU member countries must manage chronic pain and the access to treatment in an effective manner, as a public health priority ”requires Hans Georg Kress, President of EFIC, the European Federation of chapters of the efic.
Working in close cooperation with Gina Plunkett, President of pain chronic Ireland and President of PAE, faces the new Alliance as an important step towards the goal of achieving the public recognition of chronic pain, not only as a real challenge for doctors and patients, but also for healthcare systems, political and strategic decisions from all over Europe who made ”.
Gina Plunkett, who suffers from chronic pain, will be vital ” urge European Governments to draw a action plan ” in their political agenda. The proposed activities are:
1. Recognize that pain is an important factor which limits the quality of life and to be a top priority for the national health system.
2 Activate to patients, families and caregivers through the availability of information and access to diagnostics and treatments for pain.
3 Raise awareness of the impact social, medical and economic pain and treatments in their patients, families, carers, employers and the health system.
4 Raise awareness about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pain among health professionals, particularly through lifelong learning.
5 Strengthening of pain (Basic, clinical and epidemiological science) research as a priority on the agenda of the EU framework and action plans for research at the national level and the EU, to deal with the social impact of pain and the burden of chronic pain in the health sectorand social work.
6 Establish a platform for the EU to share, compare and evaluate best practices among States members on the treatment of pain and its impact on society.
7 Use the platform of the EU to monitor trends relating to the treatment of pain, services, and results and to provide guidelines to harmonize effective treatment of pain levels to improve the quality of life of European citizens.
Chronic pain represents a huge cost to society, both in direct expenditure of health and social care and the costs that this disorder or the impossibility of working caregivers. 21% Of Europeans with chronic pain may not work and 61% of which do work stated that he had directly affected their work situation. According to the proposal for European report of consensus on pain, chronic pain may cost Europe up to 300 billions of euros annually. Norway has the highest prevalence, followed by Poland and Italy.
European Alliance against pain has elected Board of Directors with Brussels Office, located in Vlaamse Pijnliga, Haachtsesteenweg 579 PB 40, B-1031 Brussels.
