The Western Pacific is a diverse region, with relatively little known until recently of the burden of headache.
China is an obvious priority country because of its size and because headache prevalence has, historically, been significantly underestimated there (erroneously reducing the estimate of global burden).
A nationwide epidemiological study has been completed in this country. It supported these arguments to be put to politicians: a) headache disorders are common and burdensome in China; b) the current health-care system receives many people with headache who are not well cared for; c) ill-trained doctors investigate unnecessarily and over-prescribe; d) productivity losses are very high, so headache should be included in the work-health system.
With support from the Ministry of Health and also from the International Headache Society, 30 secondary-care headache centres opened throughout China. These provide levels 2-3 services, and support to primary care physicians in their localities, in the headache service organizational model.
Mongolia, sitting between Russia and China but ethnically and culturally distinct, provides an opportunity through interested local physicians. Planning is commencing for population-based studies in this country.
People contributing to these activities
The headache health-care model