In South Africa, pain remains the most common reason individuals seek medical care, yet it is frequently underdiagnosed and inadequately managed due to systemic gaps in education and…
In South Africa, pain remains the most common reason individuals seek medical care, yet it is frequently underdiagnosed and inadequately managed due to systemic gaps in education and resource allocation. Romy Parker, a physiotherapist and director of the pain management unit at the University of Cape Town (UCT), has spent two decades addressing these deficiencies, advocating for an interdisciplinary approach that prioritizes holistic patient care over pharmaceutical intervention alone.
Parker, who leads the Chronic Pain Management Clinic at Groote Schuur Hospital, highlights a critical disconnect in the local health system: pain is rarely taught in depth to healthcare professionals, and essential resources for rehabilitation are often unavailable. This gap is particularly acute in the management of chronic pain, which affects millions of South Africans, including those living with HIV, tuberculosis, cancer, and arthritis. "Because it's everywhere and a problem for everyone, it ends up being no one's responsibility,” Parker explains.
The prevailing model, she argues, often isolates symptom relief from the broader social and psychological contexts that exacerbate suffering. Shifting the Clinical Paradigm The practical implication of Parker's work is a shift from a biomedical model of pain treatment to a multidisciplinary one. She contends that effective management requires a team comprising prescribers, nurses, physiotherapists, psychologists, and psychiatrists, alongside the patient and their support networks.
This approach acknowledges that chronic pain is not merely a biological signal but a complex experience influenced by trauma, social reality, and functional limitations.
This is a source-linked briefing. Read the original report from Pravda .