Barriers to effective painless labor in developing countries and the remedial measures

Abstract

Childbirth has been the most controversial subject in the pain management since ages. While there are some proponents which argue that pain is pain, and it's the physician's responsibility to relieve it as he does for the kidney pain or even simple headache; while some argue that it is not a pathological process, and that pain associated with labor brings about a stronger and lasting bondage between mother and child. A religious argument has also been presented against it. The introduction of epidural anesthesia revitalized interest in offering pain relief in labor even for prolonged periods. In resource poor countries, it has been looked upon with guarded skepticism. The scarcity of resources and staff, coupled with lack of a nation-wide awareness campaign has been largely responsible for the low practice of this modality in SAARC countries. Apicare Journal has raised this issue at SAARC level with the association of representative bodies of the member countries. This editorial is an attempt to present some insight on the barriers to painless labor and remedial measures in our countries.