D.F.P.S.

Just a minor update for you all. The people at The Sunday Mail printed an article about the situation we are currently faced with. The link is below:

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,25289430-2682,00.html

Also, many thanks go out to Steve for these links:

http://www.painworld.zip.com.au

http://www.chronicpainaustralia.org

Dear members,

You will have seen a segment on Channel Seven’s Today Tonight program on the 19^th of this month and a news article in today’s Independent Weekly. We are pursuing this publicity on your behalf.

 Unfortunately both the segment on the television and the article on the Independent Weekly have incorrect factual information regarding my wife Trish. While Trish does suffer from debilitating pain she is being provided sufficient pain relief medication by her treating doctor at Warinilla. That does not mean to say that she is pain free it just means that she can tolerate her pain. These news items have misquoted me.

I have made it quite clear to the media that the reason why I am still prepared to be Chairperson of this organisation is because I feel I have a moral obligation to represent you, the chronic pain sufferer. I cannot in all conscience resign from this role just because Trish is now being looked after. 

I am committed to our cause to get adequate pain relief for all chronic pain sufferers.  To that end we are going to continue our campaign to get the system and the process of dispensing pain relief medication changed.

We do not, nor have ever, condoned the taking of opiates for any reason other than the relief of pain. We applaud the SA Government in their stand against people who take opiates but who do not have an underlying condition which causes them pain.

You, the long term chronic pain sufferer deserve to be treated with dignity.  Many of you are treated as drug addicts which is simply not the case.  The problem of the lack of treatment is gradually getting worse in SA. We cannot allow this situation to continue.

The current objectives of the DFPS are:

1. That all long term chronic pain sufferers be provided with appropriate and adequate pain relief to enable them to lead their life with dignity.
2. That patients suffering long term chronic pain are able to exercise their basic right in selecting their Doctor of choice to manage their pain.
3. That those Doctors gaining the appropriate authority to prescribe high dosage drug relief medication including opioid medication are able to do so without fear of retribution.

Greg   Betros BE, MIEAust, CPEng, FAIPM, Grad Dip Th. Studies

Chairperson

In late 2007 and early 2008 many long term chronic pain sufferers who were treated by Adelaide’s world renowned pain specialist Dr. Ian Buttfield, were left without any treating doctor as a result of Dr. Buttfield’s authority to prescribe opioid pain relief medication being terminated by the SA Government.

Many of these long term chronic pain sufferers, who had been provided with adequate pain relief and led normal productive lives, had their pain relief medication stopped by DASSA (Drug & Alcohol Services SA) or put on methadone treatment regimes which did nothing to assist in the management of their pain.  Many of these people were forced to go to a drug and alcohol clinic as drug addicts and are now unable to go to the doctor of their choice to obtain adequate pain relief medication. These people are no longer able to cope with their pain and now lead a life of misery with dire consequences, such as one patient having his children removed from his care by the SA Government.

As a result of these actions taken by DASSA a number of carers of the long term chronic pain sufferers got together and decided to form the Dignity for Chronic Pain Sufferers (DFPS). I, Greg Betros was elected as Chairperson and Mr. George Seabrook was elected as Secretary.  The DFPS has currently about 80 registered members but we are aware that there are many more long term chronic pain sufferers in the SA Community. It has been estimated that there may be as many as 500 people.
On behalf of the long term chronic pain sufferers I have written to the Minister for Alcohol and Substance Abuse the Hon. Jane Lomax-Smith on several occasions outlining the general plight of the members of DFPS and in some instances giving particular examples of harshly treated members. To date we have not received a formal response to these letters.

The Minister has met with me and our Secretary Mr. George Seabrook on two occasions. As a result of these meetings some of our members have received adequate pain relief medication. The Minister appears to be aware of what she termed a “systemic problem” in the treatment of long term chronic pain sufferers.

However, our members continue to suffer from lack of proper care because of the interference of the Drugs of Dependence Unit of DASSA in the medical treatment of long term chronic pain sufferers. Some of our members are being denied basic medical care because they require pain relief medication. This is a basic violation of every person’s right to adequate medical treatment.

Both the Secretary and myself have been phoned on a number of occasions by long term chronic sufferers or their carers complaining that their treating doctors are too scared to continue to prescribe opioid pain relief medication for fear of being reported to the Medical Board who appear to pass judgement on doctors without proper investigation or the right to present the medical details of their patients.

It has also been brought to our attention that some medical practices in South Australia have now put up signs stating that they will not prescribe opioid pain relief medication and in some instances will not even treat these patients with a medical condition unrelated to their cause of the long term pain.
Some of our members have moved interstate to receive adequate treatment for their medical problems as well as receive adequate pain relief.

Many of our members are treated as drug addicts which is simply not the case.  The problem of the lack of treatment is gradually getting worse in SA. We cannot allow this situation to continue. Our members are human beings who have a right to a dignified life but are being denied their pain relief because the SA Government’s DASSA bureaucracy deems that the opioid medication previously prescribed by their doctor is excessive.

The current objectives of the DFPS are:
1. That all long term chronic pain sufferers be provided with appropriate and adequate pain relief to enable them to lead their life with dignity.

2. That patients suffering long term chronic pain are able to exercise their basic right in selecting their Doctor of choice to manage their pain.

3. That those Doctors gaining the appropriate authority to prescribe high dosage drug relief medication including opioid medication are able to do so without fear of retribution.
G. G. Betros BE, MIEAust, CPEng, FAIPM, Grad Dip Th. Studies
Chairperson
Dignity for Chronic Pain Sufferers

Hi folks,

This week another letter was sent to the Minister for Mental Health and Substance abuse, the Hon. Jane Lomax Smith. You can read it here.

The letter details the plight of Nicola Heelis a fellow pain sufferer who like those we are fighting for, suffers from immense indescribable pain, and is treated like a drug addict. I urge you to read the letter and respond.

It appears as though we are starting to get somewhere at least. People are starting to recognise the problem a little more, however it is still a mightly long road with a huge fight to win dignity for chronic pain sufferers.

Please do your bit, and get your family and friends to sign our petition and sign up for regular updates. We need as much public support as we can get.

On the 25th July, 2008 and the 7th August, 2008, two letters were drafted and sent to The Minister for Mental Health & Substance Abuse, The Hon Dr Jane Lomax-Smith, on behalf of the DFPS. Please take a moment to read them.

Link 1: http://www.dfps.org.au/?page_id=55
Link 2: http://www.dfps.org.au/?page_id=54

Firstly, thanks to everyone who has either registered to the site or has left a comment on the petition page. Your support is vital in trying to get our message heard.

If you have the time to spare, we would like to invite you to continue to show your support by sending emails to your friends, informing them of our cause. The more members we have, the more the petition gets noticed, the more chance we have of winning this fight for sufferers.

Your support is very much appreciated. Watch this space for regular updates!

A quick update for those looking to register as a Pain Sufferer for the membership drive. Please send an email to our Secretary at:

secretary@dfps.org.au

Your details will then be added into our database.

In the meantime, if you would like to recieve updates, then you can register for our website separately here.

Please take a moment to register to our website. By registering as a member of the site, you will have the opportunity to receive regular updates on our cause as well as handy support links, newsletter articles and more.

Not only that, but it helps show the world that you care along with many more!

Just a quick update. We thought it might be nice to include a forum for visitors to “meet n greet”.
Some sections of the forum require you to be a registered site member. This is free!

There is a forum for:

(i) General Discussions
General topics to do with Pain, relief or anything else that might come to mind

(ii) Meet & Greet
A section of the forum dedicated to getting carers and sufferers alike together to meet each other, swap stories and have a chat. 

(iii) Ideas Generator
Have you got a suggestion for the site or perhaps an event we could put together? Then this forum would be the best place to put such ideas!

(iv) Support Each Other
This forum is designed to be used for ideas for networks, support sites, additional information etc.�

Thanks to Channel 7’s Today Tonight Program, we have been given permission to include the text from the short documentary on our website. We have also provided a link to the news story as well.

I urge you to read the About pages as well to gain a fuller understanding of the issues faced by those suffering from chronic pain.