During the 76th World Health Assembly, held at the UN headquarters in Geneva on May 21-30, a landmark resolution on “Strengthening rehabilitation in health systems” was adopted. The resolution was adopted by 194 member states, including Poland, and is the first to directly concern taking measures for rehabilitation.
This is a response to the huge demand for rehabilitation worldwide and gaps in access to services, especially in low- and middle-income countries. During the Assembly, member state delegates highlighted the large scale of unmet rehabilitation needs for a range of conditions, including communicable and non-communicable diseases and injuries. Attention was also paid to the importance of rehabilitation as a healthy aging strategy.
Bearing in mind that rehabilitation is an extremely important factor influencing the quality of life and participation in the community, a strong need was expressed for raising awareness of rehabilitation and commitment to its development, adequate financing and the need to include it in primary health care. Delegates also emphasized the importance of assistive technologies as an important element of meeting the needs of society, as well as the need to increase the appreciation of rehabilitation in the area of mental health.
The adopted resolution therefore calls on all states, international organizations and other interested parties to take effective actions aimed at strengthening rehabilitation in health care systems.
The WHO Secretariat was obliged, among others, to: to report to the World Health Assembly on progress in the implementation of this resolution in 2026, 2028 and 2030.
Find out more:
https://www.who.int/news/item/27-05-2023-landmark-resolution-on-strengthening-rehabilitation-in-health-systems