WHO/Europe showcases how European countries work to advance disability-inclusive health 

WHO/Europe showcases how European countries work to advance disability-inclusive health 

A new WHO/Europe resource launched on this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December) highlights concrete real-world examples of how countries across the European Region are working to close persistent health gaps faced by the more than 135 million people with disabilities living in Europe and central Asia.

The report, “Good practices on disability-inclusive health”, showcases diverse approaches, from national legislative reforms to local service innovations, that show how health systems can embed disability inclusion into everyday care provision and public health programming.

The report provides concrete guidance to help countries make lasting progress, including by:

• embedding disability inclusion into mainstream health systems, national benefit packages and provider contracting – ensuring inclusion is financed and sustained over time;
• institutionalizing shared governance by giving organizations of people with disabilities formal roles in decision-making, monitoring and evaluation;
• investing in disability competencies across the health and care workforce through education, licensing and continuing professional development;
• strengthening disability-disaggregated data systems to identify inequities and measure progress;
• coordinating policies beyond the health sector, recognizing that inclusion requires whole-of-government planning;
• ensuring disability-inclusive emergency preparedness, continuity-of-care systems and recovery planning; and
• allocating dedicated funding streams for disability inclusion in all health programmes.

News release on the report available here.

WHO Report Good practices on disability-inclusive health: the WHO European framework to achieve the highest attainable standard of health for people with disabilities, available here.