Another painful problem

The double-whammy of a decline in the number of working-age people together with an increasing dependent population is far from a recipe for economic success. While healthcare costs and pension benefits soar, the number of workers contributing the taxes to pay for them plummets.

It’s part of the reason why we need to attract more economically active people to the island, and create enough housing to accommodate them. It’s why retirement ages are creeping up and why secondary pension rules have been introduced.

But today’s lead story has highlighted another consequence of this ageing demographic.

According to Medical Specialist Group chairman Dr Steve Evans, one in three people in the island has some form of chronic pain, leading to an increase in demand for pain management clinics, which has led to a waiting list of more than nine months for an appointment.

This has been at least partly attributed to the fact that more than 40% of the island is aged over 50.

Studies show that increased age is a major risk factor for chronic pain and it often brings with it significant suffering, social isolation and disability.

While that is not an easy issue to resolve, bringing down those waiting times would certainly be a good start.