Specialist begs for help as Kiwis suffer
A pain specialist says he has begged the health minister for more resources as thousands of New Zealanders live in misery after being shut out of specialist medical services.
Christchurch Pain Management Services director Professor Edward Shipton said the situation was a public health crisis.
Shipton, who also chairs the Faculty of Pain Medicine New Zealand, said one in five Kiwis suffered from chronic pain nowadays but the resources to support such patients were desperately lacking.
‘‘Pain management is often the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff. We are grossly underresourced.’’
There were only 11 fulltime equivalent specialist pain medication doctors working across the country, but at least 28 would be needed if New Zealand hoped to match the British medical standard of one specialist per 100,000 citizens.
Shipton said ‘‘sub-acute’’ pain clinics could also treat people before they developed chronic pain.
Pain specialists could help those waiting for elective surgery to control their symptoms and prevent them from developing an opioid addiction or being forced to give up work, he said.
Shipton met with Health Minister Jonathan Coleman last week, and said he ‘‘was actually begging’’ the politician to create more training positions and fulltime roles for pain medicine specialists.
A spokeswoman for Coleman said Health Workforce New Zealand (HWNZ) officials also attended that meeting. Those present ‘‘discussed the revised financial model that is out for consultation as it may open up funding opportunities’’.
Health Workforce spokesman Dr Paul Watson said the Ministry of Health couldn’t comment on whether such funding would increase until the consultation period ended.
‘‘In 2015, the Government moved to increase services for people with chronically painful musculoskeletal conditions, allocating $6 million over three years to support the establishment of community-based, multidisciplinary teams to deliver early intervention.’’
Caregiver Thea McTeigue, who lives with severe and constant back pain from a spinal condition, is one of the thousands of Kiwis shut out from specialist pain services.
The 59-year-old Christchurch resident was diagnosed three years ago with spondylitis of the spine – a common degenerative condition – but is ineligible for surgery. Her doctor said there was no point referring her to a pain clinic as its waiting list was too long.
McTeigue said her thighs and toes became numb if she stood for too long, while she regularly experienced sharp pains in her groin and back that forced her to sit down until they eased.
Pain disrupted her sleep most nights. ‘‘I suffer from depression because of all the pain. Some days I just don’t want to get out of bed, I just don’t want to be here.’’
McTeigue said she managed her pain with high doses of overthe-counter medicines, including ibuprofenand dihydra-codeine. She has regular blood tests to ensure they are not damaging her kidneys.
‘‘I’ve got a job caregiving and the ironic thing is I have to work so many hours just to survive. It’s crippling my body, it really is.’’
Canterbury District Health Board would not comment on McTeigue’s case, but DHB chief executive David Meates said funding constraints meant only those with the greatest need could be prioritised for specialist assessments.
‘‘Some days I just don’t want to get out of bed, I just don’t want to be here.’’ Thea McTeigue has constant back pain from a spinal condition.