Chronic pain and the system built to overlook it

Pain affects millions of Australians, yet the health system still treats it as an invisible symptom rather than a condition requiring structured, long term care. In this discussion, Monika Boogs, CEO of Pain Australia, explains why chronic pain remains misunderstood, how stigma shapes care and access, and what systemic reforms are needed to better support people whose lives, work and relationships are shaped by ongoing pain. Chapters(00:00) - Intro(00:36) - What Pain Australia does and who it represents(01:32) - Why pain must be treated as a condition in its own right(02:42) - The My Pain Assessment communication tool(04:40) - Designing the tool with patients and international partners(06:21) - Stigma, disbelief and living with chronic pain(08:06) - Economic, social and mental health impacts of pain(08:46) - System reform, funding gaps and the case for an MBS item(10:00) - What multidisciplinary pain care looks like in practice(13:53) - The single most important lever for change📥 JOIN Amplieo+ on Substack for early access to episodes, exclusive videos, and bonus content: https://amplieo.substack.comLEARN more about Amplieo: https://www.amplieo.com📲 FOLLOW Amplieo on socialsLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/amplieoInstagram: https://instagram.com/amplieoYouTube: https://youtube.com/@amplieo Get full access to Amplieo at amplieo.substack.com/subscribe