MEP Alfred Sant said the European Union and member states must act now on the urgent burden that pain causes individually to patients and seek to make chronic pain relief an integral part of public health policies.” Dr Sant, addressing a convention on the impact of pain, said that pain is a common element of numerous chronic diseases. “It imposes a heavy burden on individuals and leads to enormous costs for healthcare systems as well as for societies, economies and employment.” Dr. Sant was among 20 MEPs from across the European Parliament together with leading researchers and specialists in the field of pain, representatives of key European patients’ organisations, and senior European Commission representatives.

The Societal Impact of Pain Symposium (SIP) discussed the way forward to help European governments and EU Institutions act and prioritise the societal impact of pain in their policy agenda. The Conference noted that 100 million EU citizens have musculoskeletal pain that causes almost 50% of all absences from work lasting three days or longer and 60% of permanent work incapacity. The direct and indirect costs of musculoskeletal diseases have been estimated at €240bn each year – up to 2% of GDP across the European Union. In Malta, one in five respondents to a European Commission survey indicated that they have felt pain in the week preceding the interview showing that a significant share of Maltese citizens and their families are affected by the burden of pain.

SIP said that Malta has decided to support a meeting of the organisation during its presidency of the EU in 2017. “The official recognition that my government has given to SIP 2017 is a sign of the relevance of this pressing issue and the seriousness of the impact pain has on European societies. I am confident that today’s conclusions for action will lead to substantial policy developments that we will bring to Malta and discuss next year. Next year’s SIP will be a good opportunity to give visibility to the very important issue of pain treatment. The event’s presence on the Maltese Presidency’s official calendar is the perfect occasion to stress to national policy-makers the important of addressing pain,” remarked the Maltese MEP.

The ‘Societal Impact of Pain (SIP) is an international platform created in 2010 with the aim of raising awareness of the relevance of the impact that pain has on our societes, health and economic systems; exchanging information and sharing best-pratices across all member states of the European Union; developing and fostering European-wide policy strategies an activities for an improved pain care in Europe.

Maltese Version – MALTA TAPPOĠĠJA S-SIMPOSJU DWAR L-IMPATT TAL-UĠIGĦ FUQ IS-SOĊJETA`

“L-UE u l-istati membri jridu jaġixxu mill-aktar fis favur il-persuni li jsofri minn uġigħ kroniku billi l-prodotti għas-serħan tal-uġigħ ikunu parti integrali tal-politika tal-qasam tas-saħħa pubblika.” Dan qalu l-Kap tad-Delegazzjoni Laburista fil-Parlament Ewropew Alfred meta indirizza konvenzjoni fuq l-effett tal-uġigħ. Dr Sant qal li l-uġigħ huwa element komuni f’ħafna mard kroniku. “Joħloq problema kbira fuq l-individwu u jwassal għal ħafna spejjeż fis-sistema tas-saħħa, kif ukoll għas-soċjeta`, l-ekonomija u l-qasam tax-xogħol.” Dr Sant kien wieħed minn 20 MEPs minn gruppi differenti tal-Parlament Ewropew , riċerkaturi ewlenin u speċjalisti fil-qasam tal-uġigħ, rappreżentanti ta’ organizzazzjonijiet tal-pazjenti u rappreżentanti tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea.

Is-Simposju dwar l-Impatt tal-Uġigħ fuq is-Soċjeta` (SIP) ddiskuta kif il-gvernijiet u l-istituzzjonijiet Ewropej jistgħu jaġixxu biex jagħtu aktar importanza, lill-impatt tal-uġigħ kroniku fuq is-soċjeta`, fl-aġenda politika tagħhom. Intqal li 100 miljun ċittadin Ewropew isofru minn uġigħ fl-għadam jew fil-muskoli. Dan jikkawża madwar 50% tal-assenza minn fuq il-post tax-xogħol għal tlett ijiem jew aktar. Kif ukoll jikkawża 60% ta’ inkapaċitajiet permanenti. Huwa stmat li l-ispejjeż diretti u indiretti tal-mard fl-għadam u l-muskoli jlaħħaq il-€240 biljun fis-sena jew 2% tal-GDP fl-Unjoni Ewropea kollha. F’survey tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea instab li f’Malta, wieħed minn kull ħamsa ħassew xi uġigħ fil-ġimgħa. Dan juri li ħafna Maltin u l-familji tagħhom qed jiġu affettwati minn din il-problema.

SIP qalu li Malta se tappoġġja laqgħa tal-Organizzazzjoni matul il-presidenza tagħha fl-2017. “Ir-rikonoxximent li l-gvern tiegħi ta lil SIP 2017 juri l-importanza ta’ din il-kwistjoni u tal-impatt li jħalli l-uġigħ fuq is-soċjetajiet. Ninsab kunfidenti li l-konklużjonijiet li ntlaħqu llum jwasslu għall-żvilupp politiku li nkunu nistgħu niddiskutu f’Malta s-sena d-dieħla. Il-preżenza ta’ din il-laqgħa fil-presidenza Maltija hija okkażjoni perfetta biex nisħqu dwar l-importanza li nindirizzaw l-uġigħ kroniku fuq livelli nazzjonali.” qal Dr Sant.

SIP hija organizzazzjoni internazzjonali maħluqa fl-2010 bl-għan li tiżdied il-kuxjenza dwar l-impatt tal-uġigħ kroniku fuq is-soċjeta`, fil-qasam tas-saħħa u tal-ekonomija; ixxerred l-informazzjoni u metodi li jaħdmu fl-UE; tiżviluppa strateġiji politiċi biex titjieb il-kura fl-Ewropa.

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