Dhaka, Jul 16 (IANS): The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Tuesday called on countries in the South-East Asia Region to accelerate access to rehabilitative and assistive technology services, which is crucial for enhancing quality of life and community participation.

Saima Wazed, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia said that rehabilitation services include right from “physical therapy for injury recovery to counselling for mental health and addiction recovery.”

“These services are not merely about medical treatment; they are about restoring dignity, hope, and the ability to participate fully in society,” she added.

She was speaking at the three-day ‘Regional Meeting on Accelerating Access to Rehabilitation in South-East Asia’ being held in Dhaka.

“The last 20 year’s trends depict that the need for rehabilitation is increasing in the South-East Asia region, and will further elevate in coming years, given the increasing prevalence of conditions associated with ageing and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs),” she added.

Approximately 590 million people in the South East Asia region, including India, require rehabilitation services.

The greatest needs are for conditions such as low back pain, vision loss, fractures, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Primary healthcare facilities often lack sufficient rehabilitation services and benefit packages offer inadequate coverage.

Additionally, there is a significant shortage of healthcare professionals in this field.

The Regional Director also called for integrating basic rehabilitation into routine health services and expanding innovative care models to ensure equitable access, especially for those in remote areas.

She said that persons with disabilities are disproportionately affected by public health emergencies and face significant inequalities across various spheres.

They are more likely to live in poverty, have risk factors for NCDs, and lack access to essential health services.