People suffering from chronic pain experienced the COVID-19 pandemic “very painfully” in the absence of their usual help services and ask for government intervention to prevent this situation from recurring during a second wave.
The Quebec Chronic Pain Association (AQDC) says it has received overwhelming testimony, even to suicidal thoughts, in recent months. If Quebec has been able to pause, this is not the case for these individuals, who “have lived very painfully the last months of confinement”, supports the organization.
“The pain does not take leave and it gets worse. They are there, permanently, day and night. We can certainly relieve them with physiotherapy, access to a psychologist or, simply, chatting with a human face to face, question of thinking of something else, “said Sunday by way of a press release Céline Charbonneau, outgoing president of the AQDC.
“However, all this is impossible since confinement, even at the beginning of deconfinement. Result: the mental and physical health of the suffering people is in free fall ”, she was sorry.
Mme Charbonneau therefore appealed for help to the new Minister of Health and Social Services, Christian Dubé, in order to ensure the continuity, even partial, of the services in the event of a second wave. These include keeping pain clinics open, as well as outpatient rehabilitation clinics and mental health services.
In the province alone, approximately 1.7 million people suffer from chronic pain, equivalent to approximately 20% of the population.
