By Cécile Dupré and Johar Ali for ReLAB-HS Despite a high demand for wheelchairs in Pakistan among individuals with limited mobility, there is a significant gap in the availability of wheelchair services. A key contributing factor is the lack of trained [...]
By Fredrick Echeku and Shehrbano Jamil for ReLAB-HS Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS) is building leadership and scalable, evidence-based approaches to integrate rehabilitation and assistive technology (AT) into [...]
“The Global Rehabilitation Leadership Institute (GRLI) further enhanced my ability to advocate for and empower differently abled people through the provision of assistive products and rehabilitation services,” said Zahida Hameed Qureshi, Founder [...]
Yara Peterko for ReLAB-HS The importance of a robust and united rehabilitation workforce cannot be overstated in meeting the increasing demand for rehabilitation services, particularly in regions with limited resources. Key to addressing this challenge are [...]
“I am a better advocate for the profession and the patients… and am playing my part in the ever-evolving rehabilitation landscape in Uganda,” expressed Lamech Emoru, a Global Rehabilitation Leadership Institute (GRLI) alum and the Uganda [...]
One year ago, the United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) adopted a new Political Declaration. This Political Declaration reaffirms that rehabilitation and assistive technology (AT) are essential components of UHC and [...]
By Hanaa Ahsan, ReLAB-HS and Frank Manase, CCPmedicine Following the completion of the third offering of the Global Rehabilitation Leadership Institute (GRLI) on July 26 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Dr. Frank Manase, a GRLI 2024 graduate and founder and [...]
By Hanaa Ahsan for ReLAB-HS “Systems thinking in rehabilitation is crucial,” emphasized Dr. Nhan Tran, Head of Safety and Mobility within the Department for the Social Determinants of Health, World Health Organization (WHO), as we kickstarted the [...]
By Martina Lukin for ReLAB-HS In February 2024, 21 rehabilitation professionals from two provinces of Pakistan (Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) completed the ReLAB-HS clinical skills training program on the topic, “Rehabilitation in the Community [...]
By Fred Echeku and Gilliane McShane for ReLAB-HS Rose Tibitondwa, a 74-year-old living in the Mayuge town council in Mayuge district, faced severe functional limitations. After surviving a heart attack in March 2024, during which she collapsed and fractured [...]
One year ago, the United Nations (UN) High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) adopted a new Political Declaration. This Political Declaration reaffirms that rehabilitation and assistive technology (AT) are essential components of UHC and [...]
By Fred Echeku and Gilliane McShane for ReLAB-HS In the district of Iganga, Uganda, a high prevalence of road traffic- and work-related injuries has contributed to a growing need for rehabilitation and assistive technology (AT) services. Situated along the [...]
By Lucy Aird for ReLAB-HS In collaboration with the Uganda Association of Occupational Therapists (UAOT), Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS) recently delivered a hybrid learning program for occupational therapists [...]
By Misbah Anjum and Assad Abbas for ReLAB-HS Anabia, a lively six-year-old living in Master Abad village in the district of Swat, Pakistan, was born with clubfoot. According to available data, it is estimated that 7,500 children are born with clubfoot [...]
By Martina Lukin and Neelum Zehra for ReLAB-HS The Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS) clinical skills training program offered a rare opportunity for a multidisciplinary group of rehabilitation professionals in [...]
By Tim Adair, Md Zabir Hasan, Gerald Okello for ReLAB-HS To effectively mainstream rehabilitation in both national and global health agendas, integrating rehabilitation and assistive technology (AT)-specific services at all health system levels is crucial. [...]
By Gerald Okello and Zehra Zaidi for ReLAB-HS Uganda is experiencing an urgent need for rehabilitation services inclusive of assistive technology (AT). It is estimated that one-sixth (6.8 million)[1] of the country’s population experiences a health [...]
“One cannot change what one cannot measure. It’s our very basic and logical thinking that we need to remind ourselves of in every rehabilitation session.” – Course participant ___________________________________________________ Rehabilitation, as [...]
ReLAB-HS Publishes Guidance Note “Using the World Health Assembly Resolution as a tool to strengthen local and national advocacy for rehabilitation” A landmark resolution, “Strengthening rehabilitation in health systems” (WHA 76.6), was adopted by [...]
By Martina Lukin for ReLAB-HS Interdisciplinary practice in physical rehabilitation is still an evolving concept in Pakistan. Rehabilitation professionals, particularly from different provinces, rarely have an opportunity to work together, let alone discuss [...]
By Assad Abbas Malik for ReLAB-HS The growing need for rehabilitation and assistive technology (AT) services in Pakistan, fueled by factors such as an aging population, increased incidence of noncommunicable diseases, and road traffic injuries, is largely [...]
By Sarah Magoba for ReLAB-HS The need for rehabilitation and assistive technology (AT) services in Uganda is high—according to 2019 estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO), one in six people could benefit from rehabilitation. The Systematic [...]
In September 2023, Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS) co-organized a webinar on Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology (AT) in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in partnership with the Civil Society Engagement [...]
By Hsu Wai Mon Oo for ReLAB-HS In Burma, political instability has increased the need for rehabilitation services. Currently, there are very limited opportunities for continuing professional development (CPD) to support rehabilitation professionals in [...]
By Sarah Magoba for ReLAB-HS “If identification and referral are strengthened…imagine the change this will create in the lives of persons in need of rehabilitation and AT services.” – Waiswa Simon, Health Assistant, Mayuge Health Centre IV Ivan [...]
By Lucy Aird for ReLAB-HS In Uganda approximately 6.8 million people experience conditions that could benefit from rehabilitation. Yet, availability of services is a considerable challenge. A critical contributing factor to these gaps in services is the [...]
By Lamech Emoru and Maria Toro for ReLAB-HS The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 2.5 billion people today need one or more assistive products, such as walking canes, crutches, wheelchairs, and hearing aids. However, in some [...]
By Assad Abbas Malik for ReLAB-HS In her nearly three decades of experience working in community health in rural Pakistan, Nasreen Saba had encountered countless individuals who would benefit from rehabilitation or assistive technology (AT) services. However, [...]
By Manjula Marella for ReLAB-HS New technologies can improve healthcare delivery and increase access to essential services in low- and middle-income countries. What can we learn from a community-based inclusive development (CBID) project in Laos? Technologies [...]
By Hanaa Ahsan for ReLAB-HS “One in every five people in Pakistan need access to rehabilitation services, and now more than ever, it is imperative that all sectors work together to mainstream rehabilitation services within health systems in Pakistan,” [...]
By Sarah Magoba for ReLAB-HS Atim Joyce Mary is the founder of the Centre for Spinal Injuries Advocacy, a community-based organization in the town of Iganga in Eastern Uganda that advocates for girls and women living with spinal cord inquires. Joyce founded [...]
The DHIS2 Rehabilitation Module Indicator Selection Workshop took place in Jinja, Uganda, from January 30th to February 1st, 2023. Organized by ReLAB-HS, the workshop aimed to integrate rehabilitation and Assistive Technology (AT) related indicators into [...]
Every two years World Physiotherapy holds a large international scientific congress, bringing the global community together. This year, the World Physiotherapy Congress 2023 took place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, June 2-4, 2023. It offered an unparalleled [...]
By Katherine Dobson and Sarah Magoba for ReLAB-HS There is a widening gap between available rehabilitation services and the needs of the global population, at least 2.4 billion of whom experience a condition that could benefit from rehabilitation. In [...]
By Sergii Khomchenko, Olha Kovalchuk, and Diana Shcherbinina for ReLAB-HS Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS), a global activity funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), ended [...]
By Gilliane McShane and Valentina Pomatto for ReLAB-HS After years of efforts to bring rehabilitation into the fold of what is considered essential health care, rehabilitation advocates saw the successful adoption of the first ever international resolution [...]
Rehabilitation and assistive technologies are increasingly part of health systems’ agendas. But policies alone are inadequate without shared vision and practical action. Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS), in [...]
By Manjula Marella for ReLAB-HS Rehabilitation stakeholders from Gulu, Uganda recently shared their expertise and developed a local consensus on what’s needed to integrate rehabilitation into PHC in the Acholi sub-region at a recent workshop facilitated by [...]
By Rachael Lowe for ReLAB-HS Despite the current conflict in Ukraine, rehabilitation leaders in the country are doing all that they can to forward workforce development initiatives to strengthen rehabilitation services. Learning, Acting, and Building for [...]
By Lucy Aird for ReLAB-HS Since World Occupational Therapy Day was launched in 2010, Oct. 27 has been a significant day for occupational therapists all over the globe to promote and celebrate this valued rehabilitation profession. Each year’s celebrations [...]
By Hanaa Ahsan and Khushbu Balsara for ReLAB-HS Three principles — shared vision, strategy, and collaboration — were on the agenda for rehabilitation stakeholders at the inaugural offering of the Global Rehabilitation Leadership Institute (GRLI), a course [...]
By Gilliane McShane for ReLAB-HS Despite the growing need, rehabilitation and assistive technology (AT) services continue to be under-prioritized, and services in low- and middle-income countries are hampered by persistent challenges, speakers at a Learning, [...]
Register now for this free global webinar by Learning, Acting and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems Poor access to rehabilitation and assistive technology is an ongoing barrier to universal health care. The situation is exacerbated when countries [...]
Nukhba Zia, ReLAB-HS co-program technical coordinator, (far right) moderates a panel discussion in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, during the ReLAB-HS launch. Panelists were, from left to right, Malik Liaqat, PIPOS Managing Director; Dr. Nisar Uddin, [...]
By Valentina Pomatto for ReLAB-HS Learning, Acting and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS) presented two statements at the 75th World Health Assembly (WHA), which took place in Geneva from 22 to 28 May. ReLAB-HS participated as part of [...]
By Mariya Chubata for ReLAB-HS In April 2022 Learning, Acting and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS) Ukraine visited the State Reference Center of Autonomy and Assistive Technology (CEAPAT) in Madrid, Spain. The purpose of the visits was [...]
By Lucy Aird for ReLAB-HS Between Monday 5 September and Sunday 30 October join thousands of colleagues from around the world to understand how to increase access to high quality rehabilitation for displaced persons. This year’s highly anticipated FREE [...]
By Manjula Marella, Felix Kiefel-Johnson and Christopher Waterworth, Nossal Institute for Global Health, for ReLAB-HS As digital technology becomes more affordable and digital literacy increases, what are the opportunities to incorporate digital tools into [...]
By Assad Abbas Malik for ReLAB-HS Shortly after her marriage in 2012, Dr. Zaib Taj was excited to return home to visit her family in February 2012 at her father’s invitation. She was in a good mood and excited to visit her home, but as part of tradition, [...]
By Oksana Levantovych and Mariya Chubata for ReLAB-HS Public activist, sportswoman and TV presenter Uliana Pchiolkina along with her husband, Vitaliy, were in their apartment the morning of Feb. 24, when Russian troops invaded Ukraine. The two had moved [...]
By Zehra Zaidi for ReLAB-HS Many people across the globe are not able to access the rehabilitative services they need. Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS) has the opportunity to address rehabilitation service [...]
By Diana Shcherbinina for ReLAB-HS Rehabilitation is an essential part of universal health coverage, along with promotion of good health, prevention of disease, treatment, and palliative care. Rehabilitation helps people to be as independent as possible in [...]