Strengthening rehabilitation in health systems
In the Western Pacific Region, governments are facing health and demographic challenges related to ageing populations, and subsequent chronic diseases and impairment for many older people. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are on the rise in many countries, despite prevention measures on NCD risk factors.
Rehabilitation services allow people to optimize their daily functioning to manage basic but essential skills, such as communication, mobility and self-care. The benefits of rehabilitation extend beyond basics to other areas of life, such as education and employment. While individuals and their families benefit most from rehabilitation, the community also gains as individuals with improved functioning participate more in community life, education and employment.
Rehabilitation is part of universal health coverage (UHC) and the continuum of care for everyone. However, rehabilitation is still often seen as a specific service for persons with disabilities, but non-essential for all people. When rehabilitation services are weak or non-existent, the burden of support for individuals in need falls on families and caregivers. By strengthening rehabilitation services, Member States can help ensure their citizens enjoy a good quality of life as they age, even if they manage chronic diseases, impairment and disability, without undue hardship for their families.
The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific Region developed Western Pacific Regional Framework on Rehabilitation, which was adopted by Member States in October 2018. It emphasizes the need to build a strong foundation for rehabilitation that is person-centred, focusing on people’s day to day functioning, rather than the disease.
