Opioid drugs (68) What are the current national policies in your country? (3) Do current regulations limit access to opioids for pain relief? (3)

6 May, 2026

Apart from the Philippines, dozens of countries worldwide have highy punitive legislation again opioid drug users associated with low access to opioid pain relief.

For me, this indicates a huge level of avoidable suffering worldwide.

I look forward to learn more about policies and impact in your country.

Best wishes, Neil

HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is coordinator of HIFA (Healthcare Information For All), a global health community that brings all stakeholders together around the shared goal of universal access to reliable healthcare information. HIFA has 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting in four languages and representing all parts of the global evidence ecosystem. HIFA is administered by Global Healthcare Information Network, a UK-based nonprofit in official relations with the World Health Organization. Email: neil@hifa.org

Author: 
Neil Pakenham-Walsh