International Pain Policy Fellowship, Cohort III

Country Report : Sri Lanka

Dr. N. Jeyakumaran MDConsultant Clinical Oncologist.

Teaching Hospital, JaffnaSri Lanka

Country Report For

SRI LANKA

Part ICancer Pain and Palliative Care

Sri Lanka

• Total Land area :

65,610 Sq km

• Population :

20.2 Million

Sri Sri

LankaLanka

Sri LankaSri Lanka

Nine Provinces.Nine Provinces.

Nine Cancer UnitsNine Cancer Units

Cancer Pain and Palliative CareManagement mainly at Cancer Hospitals.Management mainly at Cancer Hospitals.• One Cancer Unit in each province.

– Varying pattern of pain management policies.

• Pain Management.– Mainly By…

• Oncologists.• Anaethetists.

– WHO Pain Management.– Radiation treatment.– IV preparations.

No

/ 1

00,

000

Cancer Incidence in Sri LankaCancer Incidence in Sri Lanka

Year Sex Number % CR ASR

1985 Male 2 564 51.2 31.7 34.9

  Female 2 448 48.8 31.5 39.4

  Total 5 012   31.6 37.6

1990 Male 2 979 49.1 34.4 38.6

  Female 3 084 50.9 37.0 46.9

  Total 6 063   35.7 43.1

1995 Male 3 450 47.1 37.3 43.6

  Female 3 875 52.9 43.6 58.6

  Total 7 325   40.4 51.2

2000 Male 5 130 47.0 52.0 63.7

  Female 5 795 53.0 61.1 84.9

  Total 10 925   56.4 74.6

2005 Male 6 058 45.3 62.3 68.1

  Female 7 314 54.7 73.4 73.3

  Total 13 37213 372   67.9 70.6

Cancer Pattern (1985 – 2005)

All

Site No CR ASR

Breast 1908 9.7 9.7

Lip Oral Cavity & Pharynx 1617 8.2 8.7

Esophagus 1022 5.2 5.6

Cervix Uteri 881 4.5 4.6

Trachea Bronchus & Lungs 832 4.2 4.5

Thyroid 752 3.8 3.6

Colon & Rectum 741 3.8 3.6

Lymphoma 604 3.1 3.3

Ovary 596 3.0 3.0

Leukaemia 570 2.9 3.0

 All Sites  13372  67.9  70.6

Leading Cancer sites overall (2005)

  Rank

Male 

Site No CR ASR

1 Lip Oral Cavity & Pharynx

1240 12.7 14.1

2 Trachea Bronchus & Lung

666 6.9 7.7

3 Esophagus 498 5.1 5.8

4 Colon & Rectum 388 4.0 4.4

5 Lymphoma 360 3.7 3.9

6 Larynx 324 3.3 3.7

7 Leukaemia 313 3.2 3.3

8 Prostate 303 3.1 3.5

9 Unknown Primary Site

257 2.7 2.9

10 Brain 171 1.8 1.8

   All Sites  6058  62.3  68.1

Leading Cancer sites in Male (2005)

  Rank

Female 

Site No CR ASR

1 Breast 1859 18.7 18.3

2 Uterine Cervix 881 8.9 8.9

3 Ovary 496 5.9 5.9

4 Thyroid 3592 5.6 5.6

5 Oesophagus 524 5.5 5.5

6 Lip Oral Cavity & Pharynx

377 3.8 3.8

7 Colon & Rectum 353 3.6 3.6

8 Leukaemia 257 2.8 2,8

9 Lymphoma 243 2.5 2.5

10 Uterus 237 12.4 2.4

   All Sites  73.4  73.3

Leading Cancer sites in Female (2005)

Source :

GLOBOCAN 2008

Estimates

Source :

GLOBOCAN 2008

Estimates

Year No. of Cancer Deaths

Crude Death Rate

Proportionate mortality rate

1985 4416 27.9 4.5

1990 4479 26.4 4.6

1995 5710 31.5 5.5

2000 7,842 41.1 6.7

2001 8063 42.9 7.1

2002 7986 42.0 7.1

2003 8,396 43.8 7.3

2004 9,127 47.0 7.9

2005 9,403 47.9 7.1

2006 10,386 52.3 8.8

Cancer Mortality Data (1985 – 2003)

National Cancer Control Programme. (NCCP)Director - NCCP.

Policy - Is being drawn.

Role of Govt. in Pain Relief…

• Education:– Specialist Training.

• Palliative Care included.

• Analgesics including Opioids.– Given Free of charge in all Hospitals

• Policy towards improved Health Care

Pain Management at Cancer Hospitals

• Most Cancer Patients present at Late Stages.• Govt. of Sri Lanka provides free Health Care.• Pain Management.

– WHO method.– WHO Ladder is followed.– Opioid available in Cancer Hospitals.

• Few hospices.• Training Programmes.

– Need to be organized.

Availability of Pain Relief and Palliative Care Services• Places of Treatment.

– At all Cancer Units.– At the Hospices.

• Drugs:– Mild Analgesics.– Moderate Analgesics.– Strong Analgesics.– Adjuvant drugs.

• For Children.– Oral solutions – Not available.

HospicesHospices

Sathya Sai Suva SevanaSathya Sai Suva Sevana

Play Therapy

Art Therapy

Art Therapy

Partners in Palliative Care• Training institutions.

– Postgraduate Institute of Medicine.

• Professional Organizations.– Sri Lanka Medical Association.– Sri Lanka College of Oncologists.

• NGO– Sri Lanka Cancer Society.– Cancer Aid for North and East.

• International Partners– WHO Palliative Care Centre.

• Kerala Palliative Care Centre.• PPSG.• Pallium India & Trivendram Centres

• .

Part IIHIV/AIDS & Palliative Care

Dr. Suraj Perera MBBS, MSc, MD

Consultant Community Physician National Cancer Control Programme,

Ministry of Health , Sri Lanka

Number of HIV cases reported up to end of 2011 Sri Lanka

Period Male Female Total %

1987 - 1989  13  3  16  1.1

1990 - 1994  76  31  107  7.3

1995 - 1999  101  80  181  12.4

2000 - 2004  173  137  310  21.2

2005 - 2009  344  238  582  39.8 

2010 - 2011  159  108  267  18.2 

Total  866  597  1463  100.00 

Source : National STD/AIDS Control Programme, Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka

Trend of reported deaths due to AIDS in Sri Lanka 1987-2009

2 2 3 2 3

10 1114

11 119

1512

14 13

7

22

18

28

19

40

13

20

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Nu

mb

er

Year

Source: National STD/AIDS Control Programme, Sri Lanka. (2010).

Estimated number of adults and children living with HIV, new infections and AIDS deaths, 1990-2009

Source: Prepared by www.aidsdatahub.org based on UNAIDS (2010). Global Report: UNAIDS Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic.

National STD/AIDS Control Programme Ministry of Health

Anti Venereal Disease Campaign - established in 1952.

With the advent of HIV/AIDS the Anti VD Campaign was restructured as the National STD/AIDS Control Programme (NSACP) in 1985, even before the first case of HIV infection was reported in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Nimal Edirisinghe, Director National STD/AIDS Control Programme

Ministry of Health No. 29, De Saram place, Colombo 10, Sri Lanka

(94) 011 26 67163, (94) 011 533 6873 / (94) 011 2682859

Objectives for pain relief and palliative care in National STD/AIDS Control Programme

• “To maintain the provision of HIV treatment, care and support services for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS and occupational post exposure prophylaxis (oPEP) for health care workers (HCWs) through the service delivery points of the National STD/AIDS control Programme or other relevant government health facilities in quality assured manner.”

• “To coordinate with and support institutions within and outside the Ministry of Health in the expansion of appropriate, high quality HIV treatment, care and support services for people living with and affected by HIV/AIDS and for oPEP in Sri Lanka.”

Availability of pain relief and palliative care services in the country for HIV/AIDS patients

• Pain relief medications are available for HIV/AIDS patients.

• But patients are not experiencing any ‘significant pain’ during their HIV/AIDS journey from diagnosis to death according to the verbal communication of staff of inward facility for AIDS Patients in Sri Lanka .

Part III : Opioid Availability

Opioid Availability - National Competent Authority (NCA)

Medical Supplies Division (MSD), Ministry of Health

Director / Medical Supplies Division, Ministry of Health submits annual estimates of medical requirements of narcotic drugs including Morphine

Calculating Annual estimates for Opoids

• Medical Supplies Division (MSD) of Ministry of Health calculates annual estimates based on estimates send by the Directors of Hospitals in the line Ministry and Provincial Ministries of Health

• Additional 10% is added, based on previous year consumption

• MSD provides annual statistics to INCB

Palliative Care Pain Relief Drugs in Essential Medicines List

Morphine & Tramadol is included

(National Essential Medicine List Sri Lanka , 2009)

Opoid Analgesics available in Sri Lanka Opioid analgesic

Dosage Form Generic / Trade Name

Manufacturer

Morphine 10mg tablet‘

‘DURAMOR 10’ Biological E Ltd, India

30 mg tablet Morphine Sulphate Belco Pharma Ltd, India

30 mg tablet ‘ANAMORPH’ Sigma Pharmacetical Pty Ltd, Australia

30 mg tablet CR ‘DURAMOR 30’ Biological E Ltd, India

30 mg tablet ‘RELIMAL CR 30’ Pharmachemie BV Netherlands

15mg/ml injection Morphine Sulphate Belco Pharma ltd, India

15mg/ml injection Morphine Sulphate S GmbH/Germany Hospira Australia pty Ltd Hameln Pharmaceutical, Australia

Opoid Analgesics available in Sri Lanka Opioid

analgesic Dosage Form Generic / Trade

Name Manufacturer

Fentanyl 100mcg/2 ml injection Fentanyl citrate S GmbH/Germany Hospira Australia pty Ltd Hameln Pharmaceutical, Germany

0.05mg/ml injection FENTANYL JANSSEN Janssen Pharmaceutica,, Belgium

0.1mg/2 ml injection TALGESIL Duo Pharma (M) Sdn, B hd, Malaysia

Pethidine 50mg /ml injection Pethidine Belco Pharma Ltd, India

50mg /ml injection Pethidine NEON Laboratories, India

50mg /ml injection Pethidine S GmbH/Germany Hospira Australia pty Ltd Hameln Pharmaceutical, Germany

75mg / 1.5 ml injection Pethidine Belco Pharma Ltd, India

Additional Opioids which are needed

Oral morphine liquid formFentanyl dermal patches

Availability of Morphine

• Sufficiently available most of the times at the Cancer Units. But the instant release Morphine tablets some times are out of stock.

• Hospices receive oral morphine stocks from near by Cancer Units. Injectables are bought from Medical Supplies division.

• The duration of Morphine prescribed is from one week – one month

Prescribing Morphine

• Any registered Medical Practitioner at the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC) can prescribe

• No special prescription forms required• No special training required.

• Nurses are not allowed to prescribe

•

Prescribing Morphine

• It is usually started using WHO Pain ladder concept from mild pain medicines to Strong Opioids .

• Then doses are increased to achieve a good pain relief.

• But when prescribing Morphine to take home the duration varies from 1 – 4 weeks from one cancer unit to other.

• As long as the patient is not having much side effects, full course is given depending on the availability of drugs.

Prescribing Morphine • As Oral morphine is only available in the Government sector,

when prescribe on a particular date, on the same day patient has to get the drug free of charge from the hospital pharmacy. ( This applies to all medications).

Prescribing Morphine

• If a doctor violates general prescribing principles for any medications, he/ she can be called for explanations by the Ministry of Health Administration or Sri Lanka Medical Council.

• Regulation does not require reporting names of patients who receive opioid prescriptions to the government.

Prescribing Morphine

• Ministry of Health, Sri Lanka provide free health care through government hospitals through out the country . Therefore cost is not a factor for prescription of Opioids

Supply Chain of Opioids in Sri Lanka Medical Supplies Division (MSD) of Ministry of Health

purchased all controlled drugs through the State Pharmaceutical Corporation (SPC) through competitive bidding via Global Tenders

MSD directly supplies drugs to all hospitals (Teaching, Provincial General Hospitals, Special Hospitals including National Cancer Institute, Maharagama) belong to Line Ministry of Health.

Drugs to hospitals belong to Provincial Ministries of Health are provided through the Regional Medical Supplies Divisions (RMSD) of 25 districts.

Mg/capita Consumption of Morphine,Sri Lanka, 1980-2009

Sources: International Narcotics Control Board; World Health Organization population dataBy: Pain & Policy Studies Group, University of Wisconsin/WHO Collaborating Center, 2011

Mg/capita Consumption of Fentanyl,Sri Lanka, 1980-2009

Sources: International Narcotics Control Board; World Health Organization population dataBy: Pain & Policy Studies Group, University of Wisconsin/WHO Collaborating Center, 2011

THANK YOU