Brussels, 19/11/2014 (Agence Europe) - The symposium on the treatment of pain organised by the SIP (Societal Impact of Pain) platform in Brussels on Tuesday 18 November called on European decision-makers to put in place a European network for palliative care and pain therapy to raise awareness among health professionals on this issue and share best practice. Pain therapy was one of the items for discussion at the informal meeting of health ministers in Milan on 22 September and the Italian minister, Beatrice Lorenzin, said at the symposium that all member states should consider developing public health strategies that include effective policies on pain therapy and palliative care. “Upholding the right of the patients to avoid unnecessary suffering and pain should be a national and European priority”, she said. (IL)