MANILA, Philippines—Of the eight Filipinos who die from cancer every hour, five do so with excruciating pain because of inadequate access to full pain treatment, which is a violation of their human rights, according to pain medication specialists.

The Pain Society of the Philippines (PSP) has stressed the need for government to amend a provision in the Dangerous Drugs Law that would delineate the rules for medical opioids (powerful painkillers), to provide the seriously ill, especially cancer sufferers, with easier access to pain medication.

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“We like to emphasize that pain relief is a basic human right. It is about time we become sensitive about this because a lot of patients are suffering in silence, especially in this part of the world,” said Dr. Henry Lu, a former PSP president.

According to Philippine Cancer Society figures, at least 98,200 Filipinos are diagnosed with cancer each year, with 59,000 of these dying.

But 75 percent of them die with intense pain, said Dr. Francis Javier, president of the Association of Southeast Asian Pain Societies Congress at a health forum on Tuesday, citing the 2012 Philippine Cancer Facts.

“What is frustrating about this is that since it is estimated that seven to eight Filipinos are dying every hour, around five to six of them will die without the benefit of opioids. And why? Because doctors don’t prescribe opioids for some reason,” said Javier.

Opioids, like morphine, are the main analgesic drugs for pain, especially for acute or postsurgical pain, for cancer-related pain and severe chronic noncancer pain, he noted.

According to PSP president Dr. Lilybeth Tanchoco, various factors, including government policies, insufficient public knowledge, not enough prodding from the medical community and the refusal or reluctance of patients to receive appropriate pain treatment despite their needs, prevent widespread access to pain relief.

Tanchoco said it was important that patients be relieved of pain to help them in their recovery. “Pain, if left untreated or undertreated, can produce serious adverse effects such as poor healing, weakness, muscle breakdown and more,” she said.

Javier pointed out that the Philippines is among the poor nations with lowest morphine consumption at 0.6 mg per capita as compared to the global mean of 6.11 mg per capita. “This says that a lot of Filipinos suffering from pain don’t have access to these drugs,” he said.

Javier said among the barriers to medical opioid use in the Philippines include the fear of addiction among patients and their family members, the need for a special license and a yellow prescription for these regulated drugs among doctors.

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On the fear of addiction, Javier said this was a “myth” that should be corrected especially among family members of sick patients. “They can’t go into addiction if they need the drug,” he pointed out.

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