Left behind in pain - Extent and causes of global variations in access to morphine for medical use and actions to improve safe access.
Left behind in pain - Extent and causes of global variations in access to morphine for medical use and actions to improve safe access.
The world is facing two crises related to the use of opioids. In the first, inappropriate use and over-prescription combined with the wide availability of illicit unregulated opioids, such as fentanyl, in some countries is causing significant harm and loss of life. In the second, a lack of access to opioids such as morphine in many parts of the world means that millions of people continue to suffer preventable pain.
It is the latter crisis that is highlighted in this report: the persistent lack of access to morphine for medical use, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. (WHO, 2023)
https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/369294/9789240075269-eng.pdf