Health TV Online: On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Saima Wazed, Regional Director for WHO South-East Asia, called for amplifying the leadership and agency of persons with disabilities to achieve an inclusive and sustainable future. Emphasizing this year’s theme, Wazed underscored the need for meaningful participation and systemic inclusion of persons with disabilities in health programs and beyond.

Globally, over 1.3 billion people live with disabilities, including 16% of the South-East Asia Region’s population. They face significant challenges, including being three times more likely to be denied healthcare and 50% more likely to incur catastrophic health expenditures. Wazed highlighted that addressing these inequities requires integrating disability perspectives into all health sector actions, from program design to evaluation, while advancing disability-inclusive policies like WHO’s reasonable accommodation framework.

The Regional Director announced initiatives such as SEARO CARE for staff and families with disabilities and Nepal’s pioneering implementation of WHO’s new Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities: A Guide for Action. These efforts align with the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy, fostering close engagement with organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs).

Wazed urged countries to adopt the three principles of the Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities: placing health equity at the core of all health sector actions, ensuring empowerment and participation of persons with disabilities, and monitoring progress towards equitable outcomes.

“Let us recommit to leaving no one behind, addressing health inequities, and promoting leadership for a truly inclusive future,” Wazed concluded.

Observed annually on December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) promotes the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities in all aspects of life. It raises awareness about their challenges and contributions across political, social, economic, and cultural domains.