In this short film we discover the importance of advocacy is raising the pressing issue of access to essential pain medicines and palliative care services around the world.
"Advocacy today I feel is the key," states Dr MR Rajagopal (India). "True, we need education for the professionals, we need to overcome the regulatory barriers to opioid availability, but though so many people have been trying for so many years in the developing world, there has been so little progress because we have not been able to project it as an urgent need. We have not been able to reach out to the common man because if the decent people had raised their voices the policy-makers and law-makers would have sat up and listened. I do believe that advocacy is the key."
"Universal access to pain and symptom control, the relief of suffering around the globe, is achievable," affirms Dr Charles Von Gunten (USA).
"Palliative care is not a big ask," continues Dr Liz Gwyther (South Africa). "The main thing is awareness and education."
"An estimated five billion people alive in the world today in countries around this world have limited or no access to controlled medicines including opioid analgesics," reports Dr John Seffrin (USA). "It isn't easy but this is a fixable problem."
"The fact that pain causes great suffering but that it can generally be treated with effective and often inexpensive medications, that makes the failure to provide pain treatment a violation of human rights," reports Diederik Lohman.
Click here to view the film.
LIFE Before Death comprises 50 short films themed around pain control and end of life issues, releasing one a week for a year from May 2011. The feature film was released in early 2012.
To find out more and view all the films in the series visit Treat the Pain website.
LIFE Before Death DVD - Buy one, give one
This initiative enables organisations and activists in developing countries to receive a copy of the LIFE Before Death DVD at no cost.
For more information and to purchase the DVD visit the LIFE Before Death website.
