Rachael Lowe represented Physiopedia at the second Global Rehabilitation 2030 meeting today to discuss how Physiopedia can contribute to this agenda.
Today was the second Global Rehabilitation 2030 Meeting and signifies the release of a new WHO tool called Rehabilitation in Health Systems: A Guide for Action which available for free now. The guide gives clear and coherent guidance for national institutions to identify their own priorities and develop a rehabilitation strategic plan. The guide leads governments through a four-phase process which is is outlined in the image below. In essence the tool aims to help countries improve the availability, accessibility, affordability and quality of rehab services in all settings.
Global Rehabilitation 2030
In February 2017, WHO hosted “Rehabilitation 2030: A Call for Action”, a meeting which brought together over 200 rehabilitation experts from 46 countries. This seminal meeting highlighted the global unmet need for rehabilitation, calling for coordinated action and joint commitments amongst all stakeholders to raise the profile of rehabilitation as a health strategy relevant to all people across the lifespan and across the continuum of care. Participants committed to key actions, including: improving rehabilitation management and investment; building a high-quality rehabilitation workforce and services; and enhancing data collection on rehabilitation.
The second meeting which started today, will once again bring together Member States, international and professional organizations, non-government organizations, rehabilitation experts and service users to take stock of the progress made towards achieving the joint commitments of the Rehabilitation 2030 initiative. Participants will also agree on concrete actions that will move the global rehabilitation agenda forward, to ensure that rehabilitation is implemented in countries as part of universal health coverage.
The Role of Physiopedia in Rehabilitation 2030
Physiopedia is the most popular rehabilitation website in the world and is uniquely placed to help address the global unmet need of rehabilitation in a diverse number of settings. For many low- and middle- income countries, there is a lack of trained professionals to provide rehabilitation, with less than 10 skilled practitioners for every 1 million people – Physiopedia is free and helps practitioners train and obtain new knowledge for free. We are here to help reduce the gulf in service provision around the world and we will make sure Physiopedia is part of the agenda moving forwards.