A national community pain management and promotion program was launched in Beijing on Friday, aiming to create a community pain management ecosystem by integrating resources from various sectors.

Representatives of the initiative launch the National Community Pain Management and Promotion Program in Beijing, March 1, 2024. [Photo courtesy of Haleon]

The Pain-Free China Initiative - National Community Pain Management and Promotion Conference was organized under the guidance of the China Health Education Center and the National Center for Chronic and Noncommunicable Disease Control and Prevention, part of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC). It received academic backing from the Pain Physician Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association (CMDA) and public welfare support from Haleon plc, a global leader in the consumer health sector. The conference's goal was to launch the program and ecosystem, with a focus on jointly promoting the improvement of primary pain management levels.

The community pain management program aims to unite resources from multiple parties and assemble a group of 100 experts in pain and related fields to form a community service expert group. Its goal is to continuously enhance the pain science popularization knowledge bank and develop a national platform for pain prevention and treatment education. The program plans to extend its reach to over 1,000 community health service facilities, connecting grassroots disease prevention centers, medical institutions, and chain pharmacies to build a community chronic disease management network and jointly establish pain management service bases. Additionally, the initiative involves training more than 10,000 community health service personnel to deepen their engagement at the grassroots level, thereby improving community residents' awareness of pain prevention and treatment and enhancing the capabilities of community pain management services.

In his address, Wu Jing, deputy director of the China Health Education Center, emphasized that implementing pain education activities will increase residents' health literacy and awareness of pain prevention and control. Furthermore, training for primary healthcare workers and public health personnel will improve their pain education and management skills, thereby better fulfilling the health service needs of the public.

"To truly implement the Pain-Free China Initiative, our goals include providing comprehensive, standardized, and scientific care for the vast number of chronic pain patients, addressing the root causes that prevent the development of chronic pain, and initiating disease prevention efforts at earlier stages," said Fan Bifa, president of the CMDA Pain Branch. He highlighted that pain is a universal issue and stressed the importance of enabling grassroots-level access to pain relief medication, ensuring its safe, effective, and scientific use, and providing scientific pain management and comprehensive care. This, he noted, is a shared responsibility across all sectors of society.

Sean Zhang, OTC general manager of Haleon Greater China , stated that pain management is one of the five major categories covered by Haleon's products. "We have been deeply involved in this field for many years and have accumulated extensive experience. Through the Pain-Free China Initiative and its series of projects, we aim to help the public gain knowledge and understanding of pain management, allowing the concept of a pain-free China to truly become a part of the public's health management," he stated.

"Community pharmacies, as the health service providers closest to residents, offer significant advantages in terms of accessibility and convenience," said Ruan Hongxian, a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and chairman of Yixintang Pharmaceutical Group Co., Ltd. He emphasized that pharmacies are crucial in pain management, acting as a key hub and playing an important role in bridging the "last mile" of pain management. "Whether dealing with the sudden onset or persistence of pain symptoms, or requiring continuous attention and timely adjustments during the pain management process, the accessibility of services is crucial for patients experiencing pain."

Experts later participated in a panel to discuss strategies for bridging the "last mile" of pain management, indicating that the community pain management ecosystem is evolving. Multiple chain pharmacies, distributors, e-commerce businesses, and online-to-offline platforms are already engaged. Moving forward, health management departments, academic institutions, authoritative experts, primary medical institutions, chain pharmacies, e-commerce platforms, and media outlets will be interconnected to jointly promote and develop the ecosystem.

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