Collective Action Group Pain Patients With One Voice

President:
Ilona Thomassen-Hilgersom (Patiëntenvereniging CRPS)
Treasurer:
Hans van Dongen (Stichting Pijn-Hoop)
Members:
Ingeborg Audier (Nationale Vereniging voor fibromyalgie-patiënten Fibromyalgie en Samenleving)
Louk de Both (Whiplash Stichting Nederland)
Riehanne Trimbach-Schilders (Syringomyelie Patiënten Vereniging)
Mary Rietdijk (ME/CVS-Stichting Nederland)
Esther Visser (Hoofdpijnnet)

The Samenwerkingsverband Pijnpatiënten naar één stem was formed as a Dutch co-working organization of 16 (disease-related) interest-groups, concerning chronic pain. They collaborate with medical practitioners, (pharmaceutical) industries, insurance companies, politicians and governments and represent all 2,2 million Dutch people with chronic pain, being their voice in all contacts and activities.

The aim of the pain patient organisations in working together is to improve the treatment of pain in the Netherlands, from the patient’s perspective. In tangible terms this means (amongst other things):

• The recognition of chronic pain as a condition in its own right
• Prevention of chronicity by adequate acute treatment of pain: early diagnosis and multidisciplinary treatment
• Understanding for pain patients amongst carers
• The prevention of continuation of treatment in the absence of a real prospect of improvement of symptoms
• Pain patients who focus on what is still possible and not on what is no longer possible.