• Gur Prasad Dureja, Paramanand N Jain, Muralidhar Joshi, Ashok Saxena, Gautam Das, Jaishid Ahdal, and Prashant Narang.
• Delhi Pain Management Centre, New Delhi, India.
• Pain Manag. 2017 Jul 1; 7 (4): 311-330.

AbstractIndia has a high prevalence of chronic disorders which may be associated with persistent pain. Despite the availability of multiple treatment options, chronic pain is largely untreated and contributes to disability and mortality. Medical consumption of opioids remains low due to various barriers that prevent access to opioids for patients and healthcare practitioners. Stringent regulatory provisions outlined in the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (1985) have been major deterrents to adequate opioid use. Although multiple amendments to the act have ensured ease of opioid access for medicinal purposes, concerns such as lack of awareness and prescribing practices and attitudes of physicians/patients still need to be addressed. This review aims to identify these barriers and suggest recommendations to overcome them.

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