"This discussion paper provides a brief overview of issues pertaining to early childhood development (ECD) and disability. It lays the foundation for a long-term strategic and collaborative process aimed at improving the developmental outcomes, participation and protection of young children with disabilities. Essential to this effort is dialogue between United Nations agencies and relevant stakeholders to identify sustainable strategies which build on existing efforts, and expand on multisectoral approaches to guarantee the rights of young children with disabilities and their families"
This strategic vision defines WHO’s commitment to help countries achieve agreed international goals on the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, increase access to quality PMTCT services and integrate these services with maternal, newborn and child health and sexual and reproductive health programmes
"These community-based rehabilitation (CBR) guidelines are applicable to all disability groups. However, the need was identified for a supplementary booklet to highlight a number of issues which CBR programmes have historically overlooked, i.e. mental health problems, HIV/AIDS, leprosy and humanitarian crises...CBR is a strategy for community-based inclusive development which takes into account the principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, e.g. non-discrimination and the need to include all people with disabilities in development initiatives. Therefore, it is important that CBR programmes take steps to address issues which they have traditionally excluded, such as mental health problems, HIV/AIDS, leprosy and humanitarian crises. While these four issues have been chosen for inclusion in this booklet, CBR programmes are encouraged to think broadly about other issues (e.g. CBR and children, CBR and ageing) that are particularly relevant in their communities and which may be included in future editions of the guidelines"
This resource addresses issues of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) programming for persons with disabilities. SRH, in particular, deserves attention because these needs have been so widely and so deeply neglected. At the same time, however, the approaches discussed here apply broadly to all aspects of health programming for persons with disabilities. This note outlines a general approach to programming and does not address specific protocols for the SRH care and treatment of persons with disabilities It is intended for SRH experts and advocates within UNFPA and WHO as well as those in other development organisations and partners
This report presents an action plan to scale up services for mental, neurological and substance use disorders for countries, especially low and lower middle income countries. It describes the mhGAP programme, outlines framework for country action and emphasises the building of partnerships. This resource is useful for people interested in scaling up services for mental health in developing countries
This report provides the rationale and know-how on integrating mental health into primary health care. It outlines primary care for mental health in context and then presents primary care for mental health in practice, highlighting 12 case studies and key lessons learnt from specific countries. A detailed annex on the core functions of primary care workers is provided, as well as 10 core principles of mental health integration. This resource is useful to anyone interested in integrating mental health into primary care
This is a report on some of the findings of a global survey on eHealth carried out by the Global Observatory for eHealth (GOe), concerning the needs for eHealth tools and services. The survey found that WHO Member States would welcome an active involvement of WHO in the development of generic eHealth tools, while particularly non-OECD members would benefit form guidance on eHealth issues. It also found that needs vary even among OECD countries, and that existing eHealth tools and services should be better known. The report recommends that WHO should actively intervene in the provision of generic tools (eg, drug registries, patient record systems, health professional directories), facilitate access to existing tools, promote knowledge exchange, provide eHealth information and promote eLearning programmes
This workplan focuses on how advocacy, communication and social mobilitation can contribute to TB control policies and programmes. In particular, it aims to: provide guidance to national initiatives designed to implement the Global Plan TB 2006-2025; foster advocacy, communication and social mobilization capacity (ACSM); and encourage behavioural and social changes, tailored to specific local context, that will result in increased TB case detection and cure rates. A successful strategy will need to: develop national and sub-national ACSM capacity; build inclusion of patients and communities affected; ensure political commitment and accountability; build country-level ACSM partnerships; learn and build on good ACSM practices. This is key tool for policy makers, at national and local level, health authorities and organisations working with TB and health communication
This report urges health planners and decision-makers influence multisectoral government action to prevent chronic diseases. It dispels the long-held misunderstandings about heart disease, stroke, cancer and other chronic diseases that have contributed to their global neglect. It states clearly that 80% of the 35 million chronic disease-related deaths in 2005 will occur in low and middle income countries, where they affect men and women at younger ages than in high income countries. Premature deaths in countries such as China, India and the Russian Federation are projected to cost billions of dollars over the next 10 years
This report argues that a comprehensive HIV/AIDS strategy linking prevention, treatment, care and support for people living with the virus could save the lives of millions of people in poor and middle-income countries. At present, almost six million people in developing countries need treatment, but only about 400 000 of them received it in 2003. The World Health Report 2004 argues that a treatment gap of such dimensions is indefensible and that narrowing it is both an ethical obligation and a public health necessity. In September 2003 WHO, UNAIDS and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and their partners launched an effort to provide three million people in developing countries with antiretroviral therapy (ART) by end 2005 - the 3 by 5 initiative. This World Health Report shows how a partnership linking international organizations, national governments, the private sector and communities is working simultaneously to expand access to HIV/AIDS treatment, reinforce HIV prevention and strengthen health systems in some of the countries where they are currently weakest
This policy responds to a demand from countries for immediate guidance on which collaborative TB/HIV activities to implement and under what circumstances. It is complementary to and in synergy with the established core activities of tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS prevention and control programmes. Implementing the DOTS strategy is the core activity for tuberculosis control. Similarly, infection and disease prevention and health promotion activities and the provision of treatment and care form the basis for HIV/AIDS control. This policy does not call for the institution of a new specialist or independent disease control programme. It rather promotes enhanced collaboration between tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS programmes in the provision of a continuum of quality care at service-delivery level for people with, or at risk of tuberculosis and people living with HIV/AIDS
In 1994 the ILO, WHO and UNESCO published the first version of this joint position paper. Since then progress has been made in several fields. Nevertheless many disabled people are still not reached or included in the fields of rehabilitation, employment or education - particularly disabled women, people with mental health problems or HIV/AIDS and poor disabled people.
This paper underlines that community-based rehabilitation is a strategy promoting multi-sectoral collaboration to reach different community groups. CBR has to be based on the principles of equal opportunities, participation and human rights.
People living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA) in Thailand are increasingly encouraged to work in partnership with NGOs to improve access to disease prevention and treatment provision. This case study outlines the impact of this collaboration over a period of four years. PLHA have been directly involved in lobbying and advocacy, helping make ART more widely available, but also promoting prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections, focusing on the use of co-trimoxazole. Their involvement as co-providers in care has positively changed the attitude of health care staff towards HIV/AIDS patients. The study concludes that a coordinated collaboration between the public health system, NGOs and PLHA would have important spin-offs for both health care providers and PLHA themselves
The conference was held to review the experiences of 20 years of CBR and evaluate the impact of the approach in order to provide a direction for the development of CBR in the new millennium
"Mental health legislation is essential for protecting the rights of people with mental disorders, who comprise a vulnerable section of society. This module provides information to help guide the development of mental health legislation. The module begins by setting out the activities that are required before legislation is formulated. The content of legislation is then described, including substantive provisions for specific mental health legislation and substantive provisions for other legislation impacting on mental health. Process issues in mental health legislation are then outlined, including drafting procedures, consultation and the implementation of legislation"
Note: This module is part of the WHO Mental Health Policy and Service Guidance Package. The package consists of a series of interrelated user-friendly modules designed to address the wide variety of needs and priorities in policy development and service planning. Each module addresses a core aspect of mental health
