Firstly, a huge thank you to our supporters!
We have reached 1000 signatures! Thank you for your support and compassion through such a difficult time.
As always, I am surprised, humbled and incredibly grateful when people donate financially to assist my petition to reach as many people as possible, to make as big an impact as possible – to change lives and SAVE lives. So please share on Facebook, send link to friends and family, anyone you think will be concerned with the way patients are being treated when experiencing chronic pain!
However, we cannot stop now. There has been somewhat of a lag in signatures over the last month. I am asking everyone to give this petition a big push so we can gain some momentum with this critical issue and get to 2000 signatures and well beyond!
My husband is still in severe chronic pain, and unable to access ANY health care other than the odd home GP visit. His pain is still increasing as his de-conditioning continues, due to the refusal to acknowledge his degenerative disability which includes severe chronic pain. Every day and night are a struggle.
The Tasmanian Office of the Health Complaints Commissioner has dismissed my complaint and upon review of the decision “decided to confirm the decision to dismiss the complaint under the Health Complaints Act 1995.”
The Office of the Health Complaints Commissioner has also dismissed AHPRA’s 2018 referral of concerns with Tasmanian patients accessing pain management treatment. AHPRA states:
“concerns of a systemic nature, in particular that patients with complex pain conditions have difficulty accessing treatment for persistent pain…. And which appears to have a policy (formal or otherwise of not prescribing pain management)”.
And, “It is acknowledged that this systemic issue affects more of the NW population than just (my husband). I have outlined this systemic issue for consideration of further investigation by the Commissioner’s own motion”.
Tasmanian Health Complaints Commissioner response:
“While AHPRA outlined its statement, this Office recognised this systemic issue in relation to the North West population’s limited access to pain services and the need to travel to Hobart. It is not for AHPRA to direct this Office on how to conduct assessments.
In assessing the information, in its response to you, the THS offered, on a number of occasions, to provide patient transport to Hobart for (my husband), however this was not accepted. This Office recognised this as a reasonable response to the concerns raised by you”.
Therefore, because we rejected a ‘reasonable response’ by the THS they are happy with refusing management of a degenerative disability, leaving my husband with no support and unable to even find a pain specialist.
So, even though my husband is not a candidate for the Persistent Pain Service in Hobart by their own criteria, they use this as a way to refuse treatment, as the patient is (in their words), “not willing to engage” (even though he attended over 5 pain clinics interstate).
This is a fundamental lie and manipulation of the truth.
They also fail to state that the decision to visit the Persistent Pain service is made by the patient if they believe the service will assist them! So, the patient therefore has no say in their own treatment.
Sounds like blackmail, doesn’t it? Remember this could happen to your loved one too.
No Pain specialist in over 12 years has recommended a pain clinic as my husband’s condition is UNSTABLE, and he has INCREASING neurological pain (a result of 12 years of unmanaged pain and de-conditioning), both of which disqualify him for participation at the clinic! The Tasmanian pain clinic does not even guarantee an appointment with a pain specialist.
Did you also know, the Tasmanian Health Service has no pediatric pain service in Tasmania.
So, the Tasmanian Health system can, and does, refuse treatment if you do not ‘comply’ with their assessment of a ‘reasonable offer’. The Tasmanian Persistent Pain Service does not include medication management, an issue which seems to be widely known and acknowledged by everyone.
In other words, Tasmanian Health will not change their (lack of) treatment of pain patients, or acknowledge the harms being done to patients who in their words, “can exist”.
The director of the Persistent Pain Service Dr Hilton Francis has stated to us – “realistically nobody requires opioids for persistent pain”, and “we need him to accept the pain is just meaningless junk and is not associated with any harm”, and yet our Pain specialist stated in a medical report, (before abandoning us too), my husband:
‘Will benefit from in-patient rehab admission to work on medication optimisation, physical rehabilitation to improve the prolonged de-conditioning’. And, ‘Secondary de-conditioning is a huge factor’.
Tasmanian Health Service do not care about severe physical de-conditioning (resulting in scoliosis and other serious issues), being under-medicated for chronic persistent pain, mental health challenges in dealing with uncontrollable pain, loss of functional ability, chronic sleep deprivation, anorexia from the pain, depression, CPTSD or medical trauma (caused by refusal of care from the NWRH and derogatory comments from doctors) and suicidality, with 46% or 318 suicide deaths experiencing acute/chronic or cancer-related pain from 2012-2020.
Tasmania is well known for being very opaque with transparency and integrity. Analysis by Australia Institute has described the Tasmanian Integrity Commission as “desperately underfunded, toothless and lacks transparency”.
While Advocacy Tasmania, Tasmania’s Disability Strategy 2025 – 2027 (‘Draft Strategy’) states:
We work with thousands of people with disability every year who still experience widespread and systemic barriers to enjoying life on an equitable basis with others. Our clients are routinely denied quality healthcare, housing, the basic services they need to live and autonomy, dignity and agency in their own lives.
It seems the public cannot break the law without consequences, but the Tasmanian Health Service can wilfully ignore/cherry-pick the legislation, which states there are exemptions with pain medications for those like my husband, but choose to leave patients in severe chronic pain stopping them from eating, sleeping, accessing medical services, and simply participating in life as Advocacy Tasmania stated.
There are no organisations which can or will help. The Office of Anti-Discrimination Commissioner also dismissed my recent complaint.
It is up to us to make them realise that medical abuse and harm will no longer be tolerated and will be made public.
As I stated before we need more signatures, more exposure, more momentum. Please share this petition with all your friends, co-workers, family and on all your socials.
Thank you
Soraya