WHA Approves Resolution To Scale Up Services For Disabled People   
WHA74 27/05/2021 •
Disability services should be incorporated into primary health care programmes at the community level, states a resolution adopted at the 74th WHA.

A new resolution adopted on Thursday by the 74th World Health Assembly aims to scale up access to services and treatment for people living with disabilities – using a more “gender-sensitive and inclusive” approach.

The resolution co-sponsored by Israel and Australia,  calls upon member states to ensure that disability services are incorporated into primary health care programmes at the community level – and that conversely disabled people also have full access to health services.

It also calls for special attention to be paid to the “unique vulnerabilities of those who may be living in care and congregated living settings in times of public health emergencies such as COVID-19, and for special protection against infections in particular for at-risk groups,” including more education for health care workers. 

And, the resolution calls upon WHO to etch out a global research agenda on disabilities, as well as to develop, by the end of 2022, a global report on disabilities, updating estimates on the numbers of disabled people worldwide, from a decade old World Report on Disability (2011).

Countries Said Community-based Interventions Are Key 

Israeli diplomat Nitzan Arny speaks about the resolution on persons with disability led by Israel.

One in seven persons worldwide experience some form of disability. The numbers are increasing due to factors such as ageing populations and widespread chronic health conditions. 

Many countries highlighted the roles community-based interventions can play in improving access – in reactions that warmly supported the initiative overall. 

The resolution broadly calls for collection of reliable data that allow for disaggregation by disability. It also advocates equal access to effective health services, protection during health emergencies, and access to cross-sectoral public health interventions. 

Persons with disabilities face inequality in social, economic, health and political spheres and are more likely to live in poverty than those without disabilities. They are also more likely to have risk factors for noncommunicable diseases and less likely to have access to essential health services.  

“Nothing about us without us’ is not just a catchphrase. Meaningfully involving persons with disabilities in decision-making processes is a precondition for ensuring disability inclusion,” said Israel’s delegate to the WHA,  Nitzan Arny, in presenting the initiative. 

Australia, the resolution’s co-sponsor said: “We recognize the importance of promoting disability inclusion in the health sector to ensure persons with a disability enjoy the highest sustainable highest attainable standard of health, including access to quality disability inclusive health services, information and education across their lifetimes.”

Israel, Australia, the United States, European Union, Kenya, Botswana, the United Kingdom, Japan, Mexico and a dozen other countries co-sponsored the resolution.

Meanwhile, the resolution gives new impetus for action, particularly in light of the fact that WHO’s current Global Disability Action Plan 2014–2021 is set to expire this year. 

New Zealand, however, said it supports extending the Global Disability Action Plan because “This would demonstrate continued international commitment to this goal, and provide guidance for how this can be achieved.” 

 

COVID’s Impacts on Persons With Disabilities 

The pandemic has harmed people with disabilities in various ways, yet few member states collect data that are disaggregated by disability.  

Women and girls living with disabilities face particular challenges. “Women, young women and girls who are disabled have a high risk of being marginalized and seriously discriminated against. That reduces their economic and social status, it increases the risk of sexual violence and sexist attitudes against and towards them and [of] limited access to justice,” Canada said. “These challenges have only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and disabled women and girls continue to fight for their rights for equality and for changes to the system.” 

The resolution highlighted the role of community health workers in advancing equitable access of persons with disabilities to safe, quality, accessible and inclusive health services.

Stress on Community-Based Rehabilitation

Among the stakeholders invited to collaborate under the resolution are organisations of persons with disabilities, private sector companies, scholars and teachers. 

“Community-based rehabilitation is a strategy to improve access to the services to persons living disabilities in middle-and low-income countries through the optimal use of local resources,” said Colombia. 

 Civil society organisations have welcomed the resolution. “We welcome that the resolution calls on governments to actively involve people living with disabilities in decision-making and programme design. This will ensure that health systems and responses to health emergencies can better deliver on the needs of the people most affected,” said Nina Renshaw of the NCD Alliance. “As we’ve seen in other fields of global health, such as HIV and TB, meaningful inclusion of lived experience is absolutely fundamental to catalyse overdue progress.”

Image Credits: PicPedia.

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