Rehabilitation 2030: a call for action
WHO 7 February 2017 ¦ GENEVA: Rehabilitation 2030, a global gathering of many of the world's leading rehabilitation experts, concluded today with a call for action to address the significant and ever-increasing need for rehabilitation services around the world. Through the call for action, participants pledge to support governments to enhance rehabilitation services by incorporating rehabilitation into universal health coverage.
Specifically, the call for action commits participants to work towards improving rehabilitation in countries by building comprehensive service delivery models, developing a strong multidisciplinary workforce, expanding financing mechanisms and enhancing health information systems. Strong leadership and political support will underpin these efforts.
Globally, there is a substantial increase in the need for rehabilitation worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Ageing populations and the rise of noncommunicable diseases, like cardiovascular disease and cancer, and injuries combined with historically underdeveloped and poorly coordinated rehabilitation services mean that these needs are often unmet. Today, for example, the prevalence of severely disabling conditions that require rehabilitation has increased by nearly 183 million compared to 2005 - a 23% increase in just over a decade.
"Greater access to rehabilitation services is a prerequisite to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal on health", notes Dr Etienne Krug, Director of WHO's Department for the Management of NCDs, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention. "As the demand grows, we must be able to provide accessible and affordable rehabilitation services for all who need them. To deny people the services they need to participate as fully as possible in the lives of their families and communities would be negligent on our part."
Rehabilitation 2030 also served as an opportunity to release the new WHO guide Rehabilitation in health systems, which outlines recommendations for Member States and other relevant stakeholders on the concrete steps needed to strengthen and expand the availability of quality rehabilitation services. Intended for health and other policy-makers, and in line with the call for action, the guide's recommendations bring to light issues such as service delivery, financing, training and research on rehabilitation, as well as assistive technologies like wheelchairs, eye glasses and hearing aids. The recommendations also highlight the value of ensuring that rehabilitation services are delivered equitably at all levels of the health system.
In the years ahead, WHO, along with its many partners in rehabilitation, will continue to support Member States to implement the evidence-based recommendations reflected in the new guide and others launched in previous years including the Community-based rehabilitation guidelines; develop tools and training packages, such as the country toolkit for strengthening rehabilitation currently under development; and collect information relevant to rehabilitation utilizing the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.
Published by the World Health Organisation (WHO) - Etienne Krug, MD, MPH, Director, Management of Noncommunicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention, World Health Organization, Switzerland
Related Links:
Rehabilitation 2030: a call for action
http://www.who.int/disabilities/care/rehab-2030/en/
Rehabilitation in health systems
http://www.who.int/disabilities/rehabilitation_health_systems/en/
Community-based rehabilitation guidelines
http://www.who.int/disabilities/cbr/guidelines/en/
Rehabilitation: key for health in the 21st century
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8uaRziXruc
WHO rehabilitation
