On the occasion of Pain Foundation Day, Apollo Multispeciality Hospitals, Kolkata has launched a Comprehensive Pain Clinic.

A group of medical professionals working with the motto of pain relief came together to form the Indian Society for Study of Pain (ISSP) on July 9, 1984 at Varanasi. This day is observed as Pain Foundation Day to mark the birth of ISSP which is a not-for-profit and professional body representing medical professionals working in the field of Pain Medicine, committed to patient care, education, training and research in Pain Medicine.

On the occasion of Pain Foundation Day, Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals, Kolkata has announced the launch of a Comprehensive Pain Clinic for patients needing Pain Management for both Acute and Chronic cases. The Pain Clinic at Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals, Kolkata will bring together an experienced team of multidisciplinary specialists under one roof. Staffed by expert care givers and supported by world-class facilities, the clinic will aim to deliver the best outcomes for patients.

Mr Rana Dasgupta, CEO, Eastern Region, Apollo Hospitals said “Pain Management is a new rapidly developing super specialty. In fact, ISSP’s focus is to achieve endorsement of pain medicine as a super specialty by the National Medical Council. We at Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals realize that there is a great need to provide good pain management to a variety of patients who come to the Oncology, Orthopedics, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Gastrointestinal, Rheumatology, Internal Medicine departments. This Comprehensive Pain Clinic will adopt a multidisciplinary approach to Pain Management wherein Rehabilitation Medicine and Psychotherapy will also be incorporated in the Pain Management protocols. There would be regular liaison and input from other specialties and this clinic will also provide research data for Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation in developing newer modalities of Pain Management.”

Dr Surinder Singh Bhatia, DMS (Director Medical Services), Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals, Kolkata said “A specialized approach always provides better outcomes. This is true for both acute as well as chronic Pain. This Pain Clinic would help treat patients with postoperative pain, post traumatic pain as well as patients with rapidly developing malignancies. A great benefit can be provided to patients with Chronic Back Pain, Fibromyalgia, Hip Arthritis, Osteoarthritis of Knee, Neuropathic conditions, Chronic Cancer Pain, Herpes, Shingles, Trigeminal neuralgia etc.”

Dr P.N. Mahapatra, Director, Medical Oncology, Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals, Kolkata said “The increasing burden of cancer in India is worrisome and along with this cancer pain is also expected to increase. While most cancer pain is manageable, unfortunately, cancer pain is often undertreated. In some cases, doctors do not ask patients about pain or offer them treatment, sometimes patients are reluctant to mention about their pain and some simply fear the side effects of pain medication. We at Apollo want to inform our patients that controlling your pain is an essential part of your treatment and through this Pain Clinic we shall endeavor to improve your quality of life”

Dr Abrar Ahmed, Director, Spine Surgery, Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals, Kolkata said “One of the impacts of COVID was that large number of people started Working from Home (WFH) Unfortunately this also meant prolonged working on the computer – often in a bad posture, and sedentary lifestyle. Coupled with rising obesity, cases of Low Back Pain (LBP) are also on the rise and we would urge people suffering from LBP to come forward and consult the Pain Clinic at Apollo”

Dr Tanmoy Das, HOD, Anaesthesia, Apollo Multispecialty Hospitals, Kolkata said, “Modern medicine incorporates Pain Management as a separate super specialty. The Pain Clinic is the backbone and the center point of this service. Pain Management Doctors who undergo specialized training and courses first find out the history behind a patient’s pain and provide treatment based on the cause of pain – initially with medications and then with interventional pain management techniques. Interventional pain management procedures are highly specialized techniques done in the most minimally invasive way. Modern Pain Management has a very high success rate along with a very good safety profile and compared to invasive manoeuvres and surgical interventions, and complication rates are far lesser, which is beneficial for the patients”