According to a “landmark” resolution adopted by the World Health Assembly in Geneva on Friday, rehabilitation needs are “largely unmet globally”. The resolution seeks to boost neglected service in all healthcare sectors, from prosthetics to physical therapy. In many countries, less than 50% of people receive the services they require. At the 76th World Health Assembly, members states made a non-binding commitment to expand rehabilitation services to all levels of healthcare and to strengthen their financing mechanisms. Public health advocates and patients called the resolution a key moment, as rehabilitation has been under-prioritised and not recognised as essential, especially in low and middle-income countries where resources are scarce.
The resolution marks the first time rehabilitation has been the subject of a World Health Assembly resolution. Demand for the services is expected to grow as the burden of non-communicable diseases rises globally. According to the World Health Organization, there are 2.4 billion people living with conditions that may require rehabilitation, and everyone, at some point in their lives, may require rehabilitation due to injuries or health conditions like cancer or diabetes.
Rehabilitation comprises assistive technology such as hearing aids, wheelchairs, and prostheses, as well as physical and psychological therapies and other interventions designed to help someone be “as independent as possible in everyday activities and enable participation in education, work, recreation, and meaningful life roles.” Due to a lack of funding and resources, access to rehabilitative services in low and middle-income countries is limited, as is the case in Cambodia, where road traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of injuries and consequent demand for rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation has played a huge role in the life of 27-year-old Chanthou Thol from Cambodia, who lost a leg, her left arm, and three fingers on her right hand when she was six years old. Thol received physical therapy and prostheses at a rehabilitation center run by Humanity & Inclusion. “I will never forget the day I received my leg. I felt I was born again,” she said. “I went back to school, and I was much more independent.” Today, Thol has a bachelor’s degree in English literature and hopes to find employment in Cambodia’s civil service- something she says she would have been unable to achieve without rehabilitation.
RaksmeyMutta Nguon, a young prosthetist and orthotist from Cambodia, hopes the resolution will prompt government and global funders to boost resources for rehabilitation. “Rehabilitation is not something people think about unless they need it,” she said. Most young people in Cambodia don’t know that a career in prosthetics is possible, and those who train in the profession usually hear about it through personal experience or word of mouth. While there are not many prosthetists and orthotists in Cambodia, Nguon is optimistic that things are slowly changing. Responsibility for rehabilitation is being shifted from the social affairs ministry to the health ministry – a small but important step, Nguon said. She hopes this will mean expanded services as well as more scholarships for young people hoping to train as prosthetists.
As Thol stated, an accident like hers can happen to anyone, anywhere, and there needs to be a support system in place throughout someone’s lifetime, not just a one-time intervention. Hopefully, the resolution adopted at the World Health Assembly will prompt greater investment and resources in rehabilitation services globally, ensuring that everyone, regardless of where they live, has access to the essential support they need to lead fulfilling and independent lives.
