FG to integrate rehabilitation services into universal health coverage

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The Federal Government has expressed readiness to implement resolutions of the Rehabilitation 2030 Agenda with a view to integrate rehabilitation services into the Universal Health Coverage (UCH) in Nigeria.

It said this is necessary as governments are held accountable for the welfare of their people in all and every area of life and, therefore, it is especially expected of governments to steer their healthcare systems towards meeting the needs of their people.

The Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof Muhammad Ali Pate disclosed in an address at a stakeholders meeting on the Rehabilitation 2030 Agenda in Abuja.

Pate who was represented by the Head of Regulatory Bodies and Professional School Division at the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Dr Okpikpi Okpako, noted that the whole world had observed that the global trends in health and aging pose challenges to mankind.

He said these challenges require scaling up rehabilitation services in countries around the world and especially in the Low-and-Middle-Income Countries (LMICs), including Nigeria.

“It was realised that strengthening rehabilitation services delivery and ensuring it is adequately financed, is fundamental to ensuring that those who need the services are granted access. The world has also realised that providing health care services is increasingly burdensome to governments of the developed and developing countries alike.”

He, therefore, said, that strengthening Healthcare Systems in the LMICs to which Nigeria belongs, is a direct response to an earlier call through the UN convention on the rights of Persons with Disabilities (PWDs).

“A major policy move by the United Nations was therefore to support countries towards strengthening their healthcare rehabilitation services and delivery towards the realization of Objective 2 of WHO global disability Action Pian 2014-2021”

He also disclosed that in the Renewed Hope Agenda and Vision of the present administration, so much effort is being directed at repositioning the country for economic advancement and fiscal transformation.

“Needless to say Nigeria has always been keen in addressing and tackling the major health problems through various programmes and initiatives on healthcare delivery.

“The Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration Is a policy thrust to advance its people through a guarantee of an effective and efficient healthcare delivery system.”

“The ministry will continue to count on the Medical Rehabilitation Therapist Board of Nigeria for advice and inputs on policy formulation and programme implementation on Rehabilitation services.” He added.

Meanwhile, the Registrar/CEO of the Medical Rehabilitation Therapists Board of Nigeria, Prof. Rufai Yusuf Ahmad, while quoting the World Health Organization, defined rehabilitation as a “set of interventions designed to optimize functioning and reduce disability in individuals with health conditions in interaction with their environment.

Ahmad, therefore, reiterated it is an essential health strategy for achieving universal health coverage, increasing health and well-being, improving quality of life, delaying the need for long-term care and empowering persons to achieve their full potential and participate in society.

He also said, that available data suggest that 2.41 billion people in the world could benefit from rehabilitation services stressing that at least one in every three persons in the world needs rehabilitation at some point during the course of their disease or injury.

“The need for rehabilitation increased by 63% between 1990 and 2017 because of the aging population, the increasing prevalence of noncommunicable health conditions, and the shifting epidemiological profile in most countries.

“According to the 2022 global report on health equity for persons with disabilities, approximately 1.3 billion people or 16% of the world’s population has moderate to severe levels of disability associated with the underlying health conditions and impairments.

“To address these problems, the resolution on ‘Strengthening Rehabilitation in Health Systems’ was adopted at the 76th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization on May 28, 2023.”

The Registrar also said the “Rehabilitation 2030 – a call for action” was launched to realize the resolution adding that the initiatives are meant to draw attention to the increasing needs for rehabilitation in the world; to highlight the role of rehabilitation in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals proposed by the United Nations; to foster coordinated and concerted global action towards strengthening rehabilitation in health systems.

“The resolution calls for a number of measures to strengthen global access to rehabilitation services which will help 2.4 billion people with an injury or illness benefit from rehabilitation, helping them study, work, and care for their families,” he said.

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