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This document was developed to guide procurement of assistive products. It is intended primarily for procurement teams working in less resourced settings. It should be read alongside the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) publication A manual for public procurement of assistive products, accessories, spare parts and related services, which sets out the procurement process in detail, including key steps and good practice

The document is a compilation of 26 model specifications describing the assistive product functional requirements and related services to be considered in procurement. The document also provides guiding information on how to adapt and apply the model specifications in tender processes

The United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities upholds the rights of people with disabilities to access health services. The Disability- inclusive Health Services Toolkit: A Resource for Health Facilities in the Western Pacific Region supports the rights of people with disabilities to have the same access to health services as people without disabilities. The Toolkit provides practical guidance to managers and staff of health-care facilities and services, health policy-makers, and nongovernmental organizations on identifying and addressing barriers to health information and services. The Toolkit supports the achievement of universal health coverage (‎UHC)‎ by ensuring everyone can access health information and can benefit equally from health services.

The World Health Organisation has issued new Technical Guidance on management of leprosy reactions and prevention of disability. The guidance originated in an informal consultation in late 2018 where numerous ILEP technical specialists were involved.

The Technical Guidance provides updated and detailed guidance on critically important actions to prevent disability. Main chapters include:

• Distinction between the different types of leprosy reaction – how they present, how they are managed and the potential consequences if not managed well
• How to assess nerve function and undertake sensory testing and voluntary muscle testing, so as to recognise nerve damage as early as possible
• How to recognise early, and correctly treat, leprosy reactions and neuritis, so as to avoid irreversible nerve damage and the resulting disability. There are separate chapters for the medical management and for front-line health workers, including a useful step-by-step guide

A feature that users may find especially useful is a set of flow-charts, or algorithms, towards the end of the publication, which are a visual guide to making the right clinical decisions.

There is great variation across countries regarding the rehabilitation needs of the population, characteristics of the health system and the challenges that face rehabilitation. For this reason, it is important for each country to identify their own priorities and develop a rehabilitation strategic plan. A rehabilitation strategic plan should seek to increase the accessibility, quality and outcomes of rehabilitation.

To assist countries to develop a comprehensive, coherent and beneficial strategic plan, WHO has developed Rehabilitation in health systems: guide for action. This resource leads governments through a four-phase process of (1) situation assessment; (2) strategic planning; (3) development of monitoring, evaluation and review processes; and (4) implementation of the strategic plan. This process utilizes health system strengthening practices with a focus on rehabilitation.

The Rehabilitation in health systems: guide for action provides practical help that directs governments through the four phases and twelve steps. The process can take place at national or subnational level. Typically phases 1 to 3 occur over a 12-month period, while phase 4 occurs over the period of the strategic plan, around 5 years. The four phases and accompanying guidance are outlined below

The manual is structured in three parts.

• Part One “Epidemics of the 21st century” provides vital insights on the main features of the 21st century upsurge and the indispensable elements to manage them.
• Part Two “Be in the know. 10 key facts about 15 deadly diseases” contains key information about 15 diseases (Ebola Virus Disease, Lassa Fever, Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever, Yellow Fever, Zika, Chikungunya, Avian and Other Zoonotic Influenza, Seasonal Influenza, Pandemic Influenza, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, Cholera, Monkeypox, Plague, Leptospirosis and Meningococcal Meningitis). This section provides tips on the interventions required to respond to epidemics of all these diseases.
• Part Three “Tool boxes” gives an overview and summarized guidance on some other important topics, including: the role of WHO, the International Coordinating Group, laboratory diagnosis and shipment of infectious diseases substances, and vector control.

The handbook enables the three levels of WHO – its Headquarters, Regional Offices and Country Offices to work efficiently together by building the foundations of a shared conceptual and thinking framework, which includes common terminology. 

This document provides a set of standards and a manual for implementation to support countries in developing or improving high-quality, affordable prosthetics and orthotics services. Its aim is to ensure that prosthetics and orthotics services are people-centred and responsive to every individual’s personal and environmental needs. Implementation of these standards will support Member States in fulfilling their obligations under the CRPD and in meeting the SDGs, in particular Goal 3. With these standards, any government can develop national policies, plans and programmes for prosthetics and orthotics services of the highest standard. This document has two parts: the standards and an implementation manual. Both parts cover four areas of the health system:

• policy (governance, financing and information);

• products (prostheses and orthoses);

• personnel (workforce);

• provision of services