KMC Pain Clinic Falls Silent Within Months in Warangal

Metro India News | MULUGU

A Pain Management Clinic launched with much fanfare at the PMSSY Super Speciality Hospital attached to Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) has become short-lived, with services remaining suspended for nearly 50 days. The closure has left patients suffering from chronic pain without access to specialised treatment.

The outpatient services of the clinic were inaugurated on February 26 this year by KMC NRI Doctors Association president Dr Sujith Reddy Punnam. The facility, which functioned under the Department of Anaesthesiology, was established to provide advanced treatment for patients with long-term pain conditions. However, services came to a halt after the transfer of doctors who had undergone specialised training in pain management. As no replacement specialists have been appointed, the clinic has remained non-functional. The initiative was set up with the support of KMC alumni and Non-Resident Indian (NRI) doctors based in the United States. The proposal took shape after discussions between KMC officials and alumni members in the US last September, leading to the establishment of the specialised clinic.

Ahead of its launch, KMC organised its first Pain Management Course along with ultrasound and video demonstrations on the fundamentals of pain management on February 10. The programme, conducted by the Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, was inaugurated by Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor Dr D. Ramesh Reddy. Dr Ramu Pasupuleti, Director of the Centre for Pain Management, travelled from the United States to provide training and promote modern pain management techniques. Other overseas experts also supported the initiative.

Though operational only for a brief period, the clinic treated patients suffering from cancer-related pain, chronic back, neck and joint pain, migraines, diabetic neuropathy, sciatica, nerve disorders and age-related pain conditions. The specialised services received a positive response from patients who previously had limited treatment options. With the clinic now lying idle, patients and healthcare observers have urged the authorities to immediately post trained specialists and resume services. They say reviving the Pain Management Clinic will provide much-needed relief to people living with chronic pain and prevent them from travelling to other cities for specialised care.