KARACHI: Taking cognizance of the months-long delay in availability of pain medication ‘Morphine’ for the cancer patients in the country, federal and provincial authorities Friday said they were working on a ‘one-window facility for the hospitals to get the drug without any hassle and bureaucratic hurdles.
Hospitals treating cancer patients, especially those dealing with patients of childhood cancer complain that children are suffering extremely painful deaths at Karachi’s treatment facilities because morphine is often unavailable due to bureaucratic hurdles.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) regards morphine as the first line of treatment for moderate to severe pain in terminal illnesses such as cancer, but every year, over 2.5 million children afflicted with different types of cancers die in need of morphine for pain relief.
“We have decided to recommend the provision of Morphine to hospitals treating cancer patients once their 50 per cent of the drug’s stock is consumed to ensure continuous availability of the pain medication for terminally ill cancer patients and others who need this therapy,” an official of the National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHS,R&C) told The News on Friday.
Clearances, licenses and inspections from different federal and provincial ministries and departments as well as Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) are required to acquire ‘Morphine’ and other pain medicines prepared from ‘controlled substances’ including opioids, experts said adding that due to these hurdles, hundreds of patients have to face agony and pain on daily basis.
Commenting on the issue, the NHS official said hospitals were allowed to initiate the process of acquiring the controlled substances once 60 per cent of their stock is consumed and claimed that slackness on the part of hospitals was the major reason for the delayed provision of ‘Morphine’ to them.
On other hand, it was learnt that a formal meeting of the Ministry of Narcotics Control, Anti Narcotics Force and Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for the allocation of the quota of controlled drugs or substances to local and multinational companies had not taken place, which could result in a shortage of medicines for the treatment of several diseases including physical and psychiatric illnesses. “We have written to the Ministry of Narcotics Control to immediately convene the meeting for allocation of the quota of controlled substances as companies would need time to place orders and acquire the raw material and finished products of these controlled drugs”, an official of a leading pharmaceutical company told The News. The pharmaceutical company official, whose firm manufactures several controlled medicines including opioids, stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens, and anabolic steroids said if the allocation of quota for the import of raw material and finished drugs was not finalized, patients would have to suffer more as the majority of these controlled substances including Morphine are imported into the country.
Officials in the Sindh health department on Friday said they were also working on the provision of a one-window facility to hospitals in getting Morphine without any hassle and delay, adding they were considering eliminating the role of the Excise and Taxation Department in allowing the provision of controlled medicines to the hospitals”, Director General Health Sindh Dr. Jumman Bahoto said.
Concerned with an 8-10 months delay in the availability of morphine for palliative and end-of-life care in the healthcare settings in Pakistan, Member of the British House of Lords, Aamer Sarfraz said on Friday he will encourage the UK government to help doctors in delivering palliative care.
“The World Health Organisation has said that developing countries have disproportionately low access to palliative care drugs, such as morphine, and we must improve this. Pakistan has very effective narcotics controls regulations, which are commendable. But we must do all we can to help doctors in delivering palliative care to those who need it”, Lord Aamer Sarfraz said in a statement to The News.
“Currently it takes up to 8-10 months for morphine to be accessed in healthcare settings in Pakistan and I hope this can be further streamlined”, he further said adding that the British government, in its position paper published last year, has committed to helping strengthen health systems in developing countries, including in palliative care. “I will encourage the UK government to continue to assist where possible.” he maintained. Sarfraz had earlier approached the Indus Hospital Karachi’s administration to inquire about the difficulties in the provision of palliative care and assured them of using influence and connections to ensure timely availability of morphine and other controlled pain medicines to cancer patients, the Indus Health Network officials said.
“Today we received a call from the Lord Aamer Sarfraz, the British Member of House of Lords, who inquired about issues in the availability of morphine for the treatment cancer patients and assured us that he would whatever possible to ensure timely availability of morphine and providing palliative care to patients in Pakistan”, Dr. Shamvil Ashraf, the Executive Director of Indus Hospital Karachi said.