Post on 08-Feb-2017
Improving access to assistive technology
Agenda item 5(a)63rd Session of the WHO Regional
Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean36 October 2016, Cairo
Outline
• WHO definition of assistive technology• Why assistive technology? Why health?• Regional situation• WHO response • Proposed resolution and plan• Conclusion
2Improving access to assistive technology
Improving access to assistive technology
WHO defines assistive technology as
“A subset of health technology, that refers to assistive products and related systems and services for people to maintain or improve functioning thereby promoting well-being ”.
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Globally: 1 billion now, 2 billion by 2050
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1 in 10 people in need have access to
assistive technology
Improving access to assistive technology
To ensure access, ministries of health should lead
• Responsible for ensuring the health and well-being of their populations.
• Infrastructure for integrated service provision, including at primary health care levels, that can be used for wide-scale provision of assistive products.
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Regional challenges
1. Lack of national policies and programmes
• No adequate information on existing legislation, policies or programmes on assistive technology
• Rehabilitation services particularly in lowmiddle income countries are provided by the private sector, nongovernmental organizations, donors and international institutions
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2. Inability to properly assess needs and provide services to different groups
• Needs not fully known
• Regional data on disability, ageing, noncommunicable diseases and injuries can be considered a proxy measure of market size of required products
• Needs are even higher in emergency situations
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Proxy measures of regional market size
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• Disability– Over 97 million estimated to be living with disabilities – Country prevalence of disability between 0.7% and 4.6%
• Ageing population– Projected to double from 7% (2015) to 15% (2050) of regional
population• Noncommunicable diseases
– Highest diabetes prevalence (13.7%) among adults 18+ in the world. Lower limb amputation rates 10 to 20 times higher than among the general population
• Injury– Second highest road traffic death rate worldwide.– For every death, there are at least 20 more non-fatal injuries with
possible permanent disabilities
Improving access to assistive technology
Emergency situations
• Over 62 million people affected in the Region
• Humanitarian needs in Syria, 2016
• Earthquakes: Bam (2003) and Kashmir (2005)
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3. Inadequate rehabilitation services, including skilled personnel and assistive products
• In many low- and middle-income countries, only 515% of people requiring assistive products have access to them
• Inadequate production, poor quality of some assistive products, and prohibitive costs
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WHO responseGlobal cooperation
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Product
PersonnelProvision
Policy
Assistive technology policy framework
Priority assistive
products list
Single-window service provision
Training package
Improving access to assistive technology
Proposed resolution: Regional action plan
Policy and financing Service provision Products Personnel
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Health sector leadership in coordination with others
Integrated national policy
Adequate financing
Data on needs for planning
National priority assistive products listEssential service deliverycomponent
AT in emergency preparedness and response
National standards for assistive technology
National/regional collaboration and coordination for manufacturing
Appropriate and adequate human resources at all levels of health service delivery
Specialized assistive technology professions
Improving access to assistive technology
Conclusion
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• Assistive technology is essential to maintain and improve functioning, reduce need for caregivers and rationalize costs
• Ministries of health are key to ensure universal access to assistive technology, even where others carry the main responsibility
• Access to assistive technology is as important as access to medicines, vaccines and medical products
• Integration of assistive technology in universal health coverage and in emergency preparedness and response is essential
Improving access to assistive technology
Thank you
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“[Assistive technology] has been supporting me for almost 20 years, allowing me to do what I love every day.
[It] has the potential to improve the lives of disabled people around the world and is leading the way in terms of human interaction and the ability to overcome the …boundaries that once stood in the way”.
Professor Stephen Hawking, 2014
Improving access to assistive technology