Summary
An estimated 1.3 billion people—16% of the global population—experience a significant disability today. People with disabilities have the right to the highest standard of health, however, this report by the World Health Organization (WHO) demonstrates that while some progress has been made in recent years, many people with disabilities continue to die earlier and have poorer health than others.
The report demonstrates how these poor health outcomes are due to unfair conditions faced by people with disabilities in all areas of life, including in the health system itself.
Content
The report highlights that countries need to take urgent action to address the inequities in health caused by unjust and unfair factors within health systems. These factors—which account for many of the differences in health outcomes between persons with and without disabilities—can take the form of:
- negative attitudes of healthcare providers,
- health information in formats that cannot be understood, or
- difficulties accessing a health centre due to the physical environment, lack of transport or financial barriers.
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment