Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Management Capacity in Karachi

Abstract

Chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) affects people everywhere in the world, but people in developing countries have far less access to therapies that provide relief. There are often missed opportunities to implement these therapies. Karachi shares many characteristics with megacities of the global south and represents Pakistan in the global city league. This review informs readers about the availability of health management and pain services for CNCP in Karachi, and their comparability to those found in other global cities. The literature about CNCP and its management in Karachi and Pakistan is scarce. Nevertheless, some conclusions can be made. In order to inform readers based in other global cities, a brief review of the current health system and pain services in Karachi and Pakistan are discussed together with barriers that impede pain service outputs. The present review employs vignettes to illustrate typical experiences of CNCP patients seeking pain management services in three sectors: public, charitable, and private institutions.

Keywords: Barriers; Chronic non-cancer pain; Global cities; Pain management and services.

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Schematic presentation of recommendations