Welcome to the inaugural issue of the

Rehabilitation 2030 newsletter

We aim to bring you the latest updates, resources, feature stories, and much more on WHO & partners' work on rehabilitation

In the spotlight

The Package of interventions for rehabilitation outlines the most essential interventions for rehabilitation for 20 health conditions. For each of the interventions, information on the required assistive products, equipment and consumables, and workforce that is usually skilled to deliver these interventions is available.

Activities in countries

Improving rehabilitation data in Uganda

Uganda's Ministry of Health has made a groundbreaking realization: strengthening rehabilitation services is crucial to addressing both current and future health needs of its population.  The Uganda Rehabilitation Strategic Plan 2024/25-2029/30 marks a pivotal advancement in addressing the nation's rehabilitation needs, including assistive technology, while its succesful operationalization hinges on the collection and utilization of high-quality rehabilitation data that accurately reflects the current state of services across the country.

What you need to know about the WHO Routine health information systems – rehabilitation toolkit

Enhancing rehabilitation delivery in China

In China, the demand for rehabilitation services has been steadily increasing due to the country's aging population and the prevalence of non-communicable diseases. In May this year, WHO together with partners conducted a pilot test of the WHO's Basic package of interventions for rehabilitation: A toolkit for primary care professionals in China to support existing health workers ( those not trained as rehabilitation specialists) to safely and effectively deliver basic rehabilitation care....

Events

Addressing musculoskeletal conditions: an opportunity for health systems globally

Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions impact individuals globally, contributing significantly to years lived with disability (YLD). The burden extends to health systems, influencing health care costs and rehabilitation needs.

A webinar series was organized early this year by WHO to initiate early discussions and involve key stakeholders in addressing this critical matter, paving the way for further attention and awareness. 

Two more webinars are planned for October and November. You can register now!

Webinar 3:  21 October  Time:  12:00 pm CET

Register: https://who.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_urd1ZIdASiq4qvHLrNSgWw#/registration

Webinar 4:  20 November  Time:  12:00 pm CET

Register: https://who.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fzjw1mhQRyG1eunXOjEdLQ

Tracking of Rehabilitative Care Expenditure in Health Accounts

Last 15 and 16 May, the World Health Organization convened a face-to-face meeting in Geneva with health accounts and rehabilitation experts from the Health Systems Strengthening Accelerator (R4D), OECD, Eurostat, USAID, country government experts, and development partners with the objectives to summarize country experiences and discuss on the framing of an upcoming Technical Note to support countries in their pursuits to strengthen tracking of rehabilitation expenditure in national health accounts. 

Rehabilitation champions

Rehabilitation in emergencies

Journey Beyond the Rubble

"Journey Beyond the Rubble" is a short film capturing the survival and recovery of a young Syrian refugee mother in southern Turkey who survived five days under building rubble in the aftermath of the Turkey & Syria earthquake of February 6, 2023. In the natural disaster, she lost her son but survived with her daughter. The film captures her rehabilitation progress on the one-year anniversary of the earthquake - looking back to her initial struggle to get out of the rubble, living with severe leg injuries, and learning to walk again.

The film won the "Grand Prix" in the Health Emergencies category of the 5th edition of the Health for all Film Festival.

Around the world

From bilateral to multilateral: Establishing a rehabilitation network of WHO collaborating centres

The World Health Organization (WHO) Rehabilitation Programme recently hosted the inaugural meeting of its newly established rehabilitation network of collaborating centres on April 18, 2024. This online gathering brought together representatives from 10 collaborating centres to enhance synergies and advance the implementation of Rehabilitation 2030 in various countries. The network's objectives include sharing lessons learned, providing updates on Rehabilitation 2030, and promoting robust research and evidence for rehabilitation, particularly in health policy and systems research. Participants expressed enthusiasm for the opportunity to exchange knowledge and strengthen the implementation of their work activities. The network plans to convene thrice yearly; the last meeting occurred on August 22, 2024.

The current list of WHO collaborating centres focussing on rehabilitation includes: 

• Centre for Rehabilitation in Global Health Systems at the Department of Health Sciences and Health Policy, University of Lucerne, Switzerland. 
• Department of Community Reintegration Service, National Rehabilitation Centre, Republic of Korea.
• Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University of Medical Sciences, China. 
• Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, School of Medicine, Emory University, USA. 
• Training and Research in Rehabilitation, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, China. 
• Strengthening Rehabilitation Capacity in Health Systems, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Australia. 
• Instituto de Medicina Física e Reabilitação (IMREA), Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina (HC FMUSP), Universidade de São Paulo, Brazil. 
• National Rehabilitation Centre for Persons with Disabilities, Japan. 
• The Hong Kong Society for Rehabilitation, China. 
• Rehabilitation and Musculoskeletal health, Ontario Tech University, Canada. 

South-East Asia regional meeting on rehabilitation

The South-East Asia regional meeting on accelerating access to rehabilitation was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from July 16-18, 2024, organized by WHO SEARO, WCO Bangladesh, and the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP). The meeting, attended by approximately 70 participants from 9 countries across the region, aimed to strengthen rehabilitation services by discussing current challenges, sharing WHO tools and resources, and seeking feedback on a draft South-East Asia Regional Framework for rehabilitation. Elanie Marks (WHO HQ technical officer) and Wouter de Groote (WHO HQ Technical advisor) supported SEARO colleagues in the planning and executing of the meeting, including through session presentations and moderating discussions. Substantial valuable feedback was received by meeting participants on the Regional Framework and the accompanying monitoring indicators, which will help to strengthen the current draft. The meeting also provided an opportunity for Member States in the region to reflect on priority actions for rehabilitation and to gain insight into WHO tools and resources available to address them.

The World Rehabilitation Alliance corner

The WRA is excited to launch its first newsletter!

You can also follow the WRA in X @WorldRehabA!

WHO Rehabilitation team members

WHO HQ Rehabilitation Programme: Alarcos Cieza, Antony Duttine, Elanie Marks, Abey Abebe, Carolina Belinchón, Amy Jo Collins, Chadi Fayad, Wouter de Groote, Pauline Kleinitiz, Pallavi Mishra, Qhayiya Mudau, María Ramiro, Alexandra Rauch, Peter Skelton, and Abena Tannor.

Regional rehabilitation advisors and consultants: Chiara Retis, Nassib Tawa (AFRO); Shirin Kiani, Susan Eitel, Rebecca Jordan, Justine Gosling, Weronika  Krzepkowska (EURO); Jody -Anne Mills, Pauline Kleinitz, Sunil Pokhrel (WPRO) Tashi Tobgay, Mohammad Ameel, Pravin Kumar Singh (SEARO) Silvana Luciani, Yasmin Garcia (PAHO) and Hala Sakr Ali (EMRO).

We want to thank Hayatee Hasan (DCO), Anne Kennedy (NCD), the Health for All Film Festival, and the web editorial team for their comms contributions.

For more information about WHO's work on rehabilitation, contact rehabilitation@who.int