D.F.P.S.

Currently, there are no linkages what so ever from the Medical Board of SA to the SA Health Department and Drug and Alcohol Services SA (DASSA). What do we mean by linkages? Well, have a look at the following diagram:

For you, the patient, to be able to receive adequate pain relief, the prescribing doctor has to have an authority from DASSA to allow narcotic medication to be prescribed.  The doctor of the patient’s choice is the only one who is fully informed about that patient’s condition. So why must an uninformed body of “non-experts” making the decisions for the fully informed doctor? At the moment, DASSA is doing an appalling job of managing authorities,  with many patients left under treated or un-treated as a result of the behaviour.

The body who currently decides who should have an authority to prescribe is the Drug and Alcohol Service, SA (DASSA).  This body is set up under the South Australian Department of Health to control drug misuse of all types and has no expertise in pain management at all.  Initially, drug regulation was controlled by the Drugs of Dependence section of the South Australian Health Commission where it was independent and did an excellent job.  One of their functions was to regulate the use of opioid medications by DASSA.  Now DASSA controls this body (the Drugs of Dependence Unit) in their own interest and there is not only a very clear conflict of interest but also a complete lack of expertise to handle pain.  They do not consult the treating doctor and regularly over ride the view of the doctor by arbitrarily reducing doses or changing medication.  This is unethical behaviour.

Patients who “do not fit the mould” are referred to other doctors at Flinders Medical Centre or the Royal Adelaide Hospital Pain clinics, or Waranilla Drug Clinic (a program for Dug Addicts), where they are given evaluations and are assessed to determine if:

A)   They truly are sick
B)   Are not mentally ill
C)   If they are addicted to the drugs they are taking
D)   They have potential to resell drugs on the street

This now re-iterates further the fact that more doctors with limited knowledge about the patient are making decisions about their well being without having any knowledge about the illness the patient suffers.  Further, the doctors in DASSA are used to treating drug addicts and are often unable to tell the difference between abuse and genuine pain.

What is happening at DASSA, is illegal but using the Controlled Substances Act in a manner which was never intended when the act was drawn up.  The end result is within the law, but is totally immoral and intended to destroy patient’s treatment of pain

If the United Nations believe that everyone is entitled to security when it comes to illness of disability, then not only is the traditional Doctor/Patient relationship ignored here, but so is a basic human right!

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