The WHO Disability-Inclusive Health Services Training Package is a companion to the “WHO Disability-Inclusive Health Services Toolkit: A resource for health facilities in the Western Pacific Region” published by WHO in 2020. This package offers a range of additional training materials including presentations, workbooks and videos that will allow users to develop the foundational skills and understanding of the Toolkit for its implementation. Together the Toolkit and Training Package will help ensure equitable access to health services, best-quality outcomes and improved quality of life for all people with disabilities to achieve universal health coverage.
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.
An Informal Consultation on Stopping Discrimination and Promoting Inclusion of Persons Affected by Leprosy was held in New Delhi from 14 to 16 November 2017. Forty delegates with diverse backgrounds, experience and expertise enriched the discussions. Persons affected by leprosy brought to the table the challenges faced in daily life and suggested actions to be taken to reduce stigma and discrimination related to leprosy. Representatives of national programmes presented actions taken in their respective countries. The participants acknowledged the fact that stigma and discrimination related to leprosy still exists at a significant level. Information about stigma and discrimination related to leprosy needs to be collected in a more systematic manner to assess the magnitude of the problem and to further plan activities to reduce it.
Key recommendations from the consultation included counselling and reporting of incidences of discrimination. Efforts should be continued to inform facts about leprosy to the community.
The participants strongly recommended that leprosy programmes should adopt a ‘rights-based approach’ in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
"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"