Improving disability inclusion in health services

The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Western Pacific works with Member States to address health equity for people with disability in the health sector.  People with disability face a multitude of barriers when accessing health services. These barriers may be encountered in health facilities, such as improperly designed entryways and inaccessible bathrooms. There may be barriers to receiving health information because it is not available in formats suitable for people with difficulty seeing, hearing and understanding.  Misconceptions and negative beliefs about people with disability can also lead to discriminatory practices among health workers. At the health system level, governments may fail to account for the voice of people with disability in planning health programs and policies.

To support health systems to deliver health services that are more inclusive of people with disability, WHO have gathered data and developed technical guidance and training resources for policy makers, health workers, managers, and program implementers.