Managing pain management

If my experience in running a large pain management clinic in London for many years is anything to go by, Fibromyalgia sufferers in Malta face an uphill struggle in their battle to get any form of official recognition. Despite the fact that in 2003,...

If my experience in running a large pain management clinic in London for many years is anything to go by, Fibromyalgia sufferers in Malta face an uphill struggle in their battle to get any form of official recognition.

Despite the fact that in 2003, the Chief Medical Officer in the UK issued a letter recognising the condition as a definite medical entity, patients there still face prejudice due to an inherent scepticism in both the medical and legal professions.

I would not put too much faith in the decisions reached by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence). A number of individuals appointed to the various subcommittees set up by this body to issue guidelines came with their own personal agendas. The debacle surrounding the back pain guidelines, issued a couple of years ago and greeted with universal derision, is a case in point.

A more suitable acronym for NICE would surely be the National Institute for Clinical Economy, as that seems to be the sole purpose for its creation!

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