- Dr. Samanta Lal Sen, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh
- Dr. Dipu Moni, Honorable Minister, Ministry of Social Welfare, Government of Bangladesh
- Dr. Rokeya Sultana, Honorable State Minister, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh
- Md. Jahangir Alam, Secretary, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Bangladesh
- Member State representatives and high-level experts from across the South-East Asia Region.
- Partners, colleagues and friends,
Good morning and welcome to this first-of-its-kind Regional Meeting on accelerating access to rehabilitation in South East Asia.
My sincere gratitude to all experts and partners – especially Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) for their support in the conduct of this meeting.
I have convened this meeting with one single, overarching purpose, which is to accelerate Region-wide provisioning of rehabilitation services. Rehabilitation services encompass a wide range of essential support systems, from physical therapy for injury recovery to counselling for mental health and addiction recovery. These services are not merely about medical treatment; they are about restoring dignity, hope, and the ability to participate fully in society. Over the next 3 days we will discuss provisioning models of rehabilitation and assistive technology with country examples, challenges and opportunities faced by member States. We will also update on the latest WHO tools and guidance documents on Rehab and AT and discuss the “Framework on Provisioning rehabilitation services in region” with key monitoring indicators.
I would like the framework that comes out of this meeting to be actionable, evidence-based, and informed by the experiences and needs of the people and communities for whom it aims to drive transformative change.
Today, 590 million people in South-East Asia region could benefit from the rehabilitation services. There is evidence indicating a significant regional rehabilitation service gap, with unmet needs reaching up to 83% in some counties. Primary healthcare facilities lack sufficient rehabilitation services, benefit packages offer inadequate coverage, and there is a severe shortage of healthcare professionals in the field. The trend of the last 20 years shows that the need for rehabilitation is increasing in our South-East Asia region. This will further increase in the coming years, given the increasing prevalence of conditions associated with ageing and NCDs
There is no question: Our challenges are immense.
To achieve these outcomes, I propose a series of actionable, evidence-based and locally adaptable strategies across five key areas of work, which I call on countries, partners and all stakeholders in the Region to implement without delay.
First, people and communities must be engaged and empowered, with a focus on increasing health literacy, and enhancing demand for rehabilitation services, including assistive technologies.
Across the Region, new opportunities to reach at-risk and underserved populations and communities must be identified and leveraged.
Second, current models of care must be reoriented to prioritize primary health care (PHC) and community-based services, in line with the Region’s Strategy for PHC.
Basic rehabilitation services should be mainstreamed into routine health services and functional referral linkages should be strengthened. Innovative models of care should be expanded to reach each and every community, including those in difficult terrains especially to respond to humanitarian crisis.
Third, increased efforts must be made to better coordinate rehabilitation services within and across programmes and sectors.
We know that rehabilitation services should work closely with programs on NCDs, mental health, ageing and other routine health services. This has already been emphasized in Bangladesh Rehabilitation Council Act 2018.
They should also be integrated into activities for managing the humanitarian crisis, health emergencies and for disability inclusion among other cross cutting areas.
In this regard, Bangladesh has set an example for rehabilitation of an often-overlooked population – those with neurodevelopmental disorders. We must ensure that their unique needs are also taken into in account when designing rehabilitation services.
On this, the framework should speak on the ‘three Cs - coordination, collaboration and convergence.
Fourth, in all countries, the rehabilitation workforce must be vigorously strengthened, ensuring it is adequate, appropriately trained and positioned.
Gaps and challenges must be identified and mapped.
A competency-based training framework must be developed and implemented. Increased task-sharing, delegation and use of technology by teams of health workers must be achieved to strengthen quality of care at all levels and across health cadre.
Fifth, an environment that enables rapid, sustained and inclusive progress must be established and nurtured.
For this, governance must be strengthened, and data expanded and disaggregated.
Frameworks for monitoring and evaluation must be designed and implemented.
Financial risk protection must be strengthened to enable all people and communities to access the full range of essential medications, assistive products and rehabilitation that they require.
Technology and innovation should be leveraged in order to overcome barriers of distance and cost. Telemedicine, mobile health applications, and wearable devices hold tremendous promise in extending the reach of rehabilitation services to underserved communities and remote regions
Excellencies, partners and friends,
Today, tomorrow, and in the weeks, months and years ahead, we have an immense opportunity.
An opportunity to transform the health and well-being, lives and livelihoods of the most marginalized and furthest behind;
We must challenge the stigma surrounding disability, injury, and mental health issues. By fostering a culture of empathy, understanding, and inclusion, we can create a society where individuals feel empowered to seek help without fear of judgment or discrimination.
And to mitigate the vast, inequitable and rising costs of rehabilitation services in all countries of the Region, promoting sustainable social and economic development.
Together, let us take advantage of this opportunity.
As we move forward, let us commit ourselves to building a future where no one is left behind, where every person has the chance to recover, heal, and thrive.
I once again extend my sincere gratitude to all the partners, member states representatives and experts and assure you of WHO’s full support in achieving our target.
Thank you.