TUH doctors gain pain certification

Two Townsville University Hospital doctors have become certified specialists in pain management.
Dr Nitinkumar Chaudhary and Dr Parul Sareen have been awarded fellowships of the faculty of pain medicine by the Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists.
Dr Chaudhary said it was a tough and time-consuming two-year process to gain the certification.
“This is a big achievement for myself and my family who have had to sacrifice so much over the last couple of years,” Dr Chaudhary said.
“This was an area I wanted to work in after working as a GP and seeing the impact chronic pain has on people.
“I wanted to help them and give them back some quality of life to gain independence to work and have a social life.”
Dr Sareen said she was keen to give back and help people across north Queensland suffering from pain.
“Hospital and health services are seeing more instances of people suffering from chronic pain,” Dr Sareen said.
“Close to three and a half million Australians are suffering from chronic pain and nearly 70 per cent of people living with chronic pain are of a working age.
“Untreated chronic pain not only has an impact on someone’s health and social life, but also their ability to work.
“People who are in pain aren’t able to work to their full capacity, which then places a huge financial burden on themselves and their family.”
Dr Sareen said chronic pain is a complex and debilitating condition with not enough recognition across the country.
“We know a lot about conditions like hypertension and diabetes, but there is still a lack of awareness about chronic pain and how to manage it,” she said.
“I hope through gaining this certification I can help inform people about pain and the options they have if they’re suffering from it.
“Even something as small as validating and recognising someone is in pain is a big step towards getting them the support they need.”