By: Rachel Lee, Ciara Sejour, Shaya Farahmand, Karan Maheshwari, and Fatima Khawaja
<aside> đź’ˇ Problem Statement: Armenians face an increased lack of access to pain relief and palliative care due to increased government regulations and a lack of education among healthcare professionals
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Lack of access to pain relief is a massive problem that is experienced in developing countries around the world. Over the years, some countries have been diligent about increasing funding for pain medications, spreading education, and implementing reforms. A country that is still plagued with the consequences of extremely low access to pain relief is Armenia, at the border of Europe and Asia.
Armenia is a victim of a lack of adequate healthcare, resulting in inaccessible basic human rights measures, including pain relief. 56% of the population of Armenia are rural farmers, working 14-hour days in dangerous conditions with few safety measures. Severe injuries and accidents occur regularly from operating farm equipment and being exposed to toxic chemicals. When injuries happen, most people can’t afford access to healthcare services and medical professionals because Armenian medical facilities have become privatized. Socially marginalized groups in particular have extreme trouble with accessing medical services (mental disabilities, HIV/AIDS, palliative care patients). And even if they were to get access to medical facilities, they would not be given any pain relief medications.
It is estimated that only 17% of the population of Armenia has access to pain relief, and this 17% of people is at the top of the socioeconomic population. The rest of the population has little to no access to pain relief medications. This means that patients who have endured extreme injuries from farming accidents suffer from excruciating pain, making Armenians victim to death by pain. The same goes for cancer patients who are forced to undergo intense operations and treatment plans with NO pain relief. About 8,000 people die from cancer in Armenia every year, most in excruciating pain. Morphine, a key medication for treating severe cancer pain, is inexpensive and easy to administer, but inaccessible to people who need it. From 2010 to 2012 Armenia consumed an average of 1.1 kilograms of morphine per year, not even enough to treat 3 percent of those estimated to need it. This is without even mentioning the elderly population that suffers regularly from arthritis, osteoporosis, heart diseases, and more.
The bottom line is that everyone in Armenia suffers greatly because they cannot get access to pain relief. As a result, suicide rates are roughly 70% higher than the global average, and the majority of the population dies in excruciating pain.
“I cry, scream, feel like I’m walking on fire all the time. I try to endure the pain when someone is at home, but when I am alone, all I can do is cry.” - Gayane G, a 46-year-old Armenian cancer patient
When looked at from the surface level, it may seem that lack of access to pain relief in Armenia is mainly due to a lack of education in medical professionals and lack of money, but when you look deeper, the issues lie in the government. Strict regulations exist, both in the way that medication is prescribed, as well as how it is stored. The process involves prescriptions from a patient’s:
Furthermore, oncologists are required to provide monthly reports on the identity and diagnosis of the patient, which violates patient confidentiality.