A World Without Morphine – The Harsh Reality For A Lot Of People

For the majority of people, especially those in and around Northern America & Europe, pain relief is quite easily accessible but not all countries are so privileged.

There are still some countries around the world – roughly around 83% of the world – that either has severely limited access or no access to pain relief, such as morphine. Some of these countries include the likes of Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nigeria.

The following infographic from Work the World looks at exactly the situation that these countries (and many others) face daily and just how important pain relief is for anyone who might be suffering and need of relief.

The stats don’t lie – it’s reported that around 20 million people are in need of palliative care near the end of their lives, whilst only 1 in 3 people actually have access to the appropriate care needed.

Morphine was discovered in 1804 and is named after Morpheus; the Greek god of dreams. The World Health Organisation recognises morphine as an essential medicine and especially in the cases of treating those with cancer and HIV/Aids.

A lack of access to morphine can result in patients struggling with a number of issues including a lack of mobility, their immune system breaking down and interfering with their ability to eat, sleep, concentrate and just generally get by.

So, what is the state of pain relief around the world and more importantly – what’s going on to try and increase the availability of pain relief? Read on for more information.