Universal health coverage is not possible without disability inclusive health systems. Persons with disabilities make up 16 percent the global population, yet many continue to face a range of challenges in accessing quality health care services. As a result, persons with disabilities have more significant unmet health care needs and poorer levels of health than the general population.
In a concerted effort to promote disability inclusion in health sectors across East Asia and the Pacific, members of the World Bank’s health, and disability inclusion teams met with representatives from ASEAN Disability Forum, Pacific Disability Forum, and Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra for a one-day workshop.
The April event provided an opportunity to learn more about the different organization’s disability commitments, policies, frameworks, and strategies, exchange challenges and lessons learned through engagement with countries, and look for opportunities for strengthening disability inclusion and rights in future health initiatives.