Political Stakes of Cancer Podcast Series – Episode 1: Pain without Painkillers: the politics of morphine in northern India

Podcast with Nickolas Surawy Stepney, Research Associate, King’s College London, in discussion with Thandeka Cochrane, Postdoctoral Research Associate, King’s College, London.

This episode takes us to northern India to unpack the complex politics of morphine care for cancer patients. Nickolas shares with us stories from his doctoral work in India in hospitals where morphine stocking and distribution are enfolded in complex narratives about addiction and pain and cancer patients often don’t get the morphine that they might want or need. Through Nickolas’ work we get a sense of the manifold social, political and economic dynamics that weave through the distribution of pain drugs. Nickolas also shares with us the challenges of doing fieldwork – particularly as a young doctoral student – on a drug that is so closely monitored and frequently connected to illicit trade.

This podcast is part of a series edited by Thandeka Cochrane, Fabien Provost, and Shagufta Bhangu, and produced by Rory O’Connor, https://linktr.ee/roryoconnor_music.