World Health Organisation announces a resolution on Strengthening rehabilitation in health systems

World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the adoption of a landmark resolution on “Strengthening rehabilitation in health systems” at the 76th World Health Assembly.  The resolution, adopted by 194 members States, responds to the large global need for rehabilitation and the significant gap in availability of services, especially in low- and middle-income countries, with as much as 50% of people not receiving the rehabilitation they require.

The resolution highlights:

• the importance of raising awareness of rehabilitation among policy- and decision-makers when setting health priorities;
• the need to better equip countries in responding to rehabilitation needs, including assistive technology, in the context of health emergencies;
• common challenges faced in accessing affordable, quality and appropriate rehabilitation services, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable populations; and
• the current lack of rehabilitation workforce that urgently needs to be addressed.

The resolution calls for key actions to be taken by Member States, international organizations and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen rehabilitation in health systems.  It also requests for the WHO Secretariat to support the implementation of Rehabilitation 2030 through the development of technical guidance and resources, the development of feasible targets and indicators, and by integrating rehabilitation and assistive technology in its emergency medical teams, among other requests.

The successful implementation of this resolution is critical to ensure the enjoyment of human rights, including the best possible physical and mental health.

The WHO Secretariat will report on their progress in the implementation of this resolution to the World Health Assembly in 2026, 2028 and 2030.

On 10-11 July 2023, WHO will be hosting the 3rd Global Rehabilitation 2030 meeting where we will discuss the adoption of this landmark resolution and the actions requested, and will launch key WHO technical products that will facilitate the implementation of the resolution in countries. More information on this meeting and the technical products will be shared in the coming weeks.