Deutsche Schmerzliga e.V.

President: Dr. Michael Überall
Vice Presidents: Birgitta Gibson, Susanne Wüste, Dr. Gerhard, Müller-Schwefe, Uta Obst and Günter Rambach

The “Deutsche Schmerzliga”, founded in 1990, is a non-profit and non-governmental organization with more than 5,500 members; most of them are chronic pain patients themselves. It is the largest chronic pain patient organization in Germany and runs about 110 regional self-help groups.

The mission of the “Deutsche Schmerzliga” is to improve the situation and life of pain patients. Above all, this means improving the general framework of health care policies (legislator, sickness insurance funds) and opening up therapeutic channels for patients suffering from chronic pain.

The Deutsche Schmerzliga is calling for:
• Recognition of pain as a symptom in itself
• Exemption of chronic pain patients from prescription fees
• Off label channel of prescription
• No “aut idem” application to chronic pain patients
• Satisfaction of the legally founded claim to pain therapy
• Lifting of restrictions for the treatment of chronic pain patients
• Qualified training of pain therapists, quality assurance

Establishing and enforcement of the following “5 rights of pain patients”:

1. The right to get understanding
2. The right to get information
3. The right to get professional aid
4. The right to get prompt and optimal pain therapy
5. The right of pain relief as basic right of human beings