Success Story: ReLAB-HS Enhances Capacity of Primary Health Care Providers in Pakistan, Bringing Basic Rehabilitation Services Closer to the Community
Nov 2, 2023
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 unmet due to limited availability and access to these services. This leaves a significant portion of the population… Read more
Ugandan Primary Health Care Providers Trained to Provide Basic Rehabilitation Interventions
Oct 12, 2023
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 Assessment of Rehabilitation Situation (STARS) completed earlier this year in Uganda found that, among other factors, the delivery… Read more
Webinar: Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology in Universal Health Coverage
Oct 4, 2023
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 Mechanism for UHC2030, the Global Health Council, and Results for Development. The webinar’s panelists made the case for the integration of… Read more
Success Story: Clinical Skills Training and the Power of Mentoring
Sep 25, 2023
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 responding to this need. Through the Clinical Skills Training Program, Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS) has… Read more
Success Story: Training Community Health Workers Improves Community Access to Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Services and Offers Hope
Sep 25, 2023
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 Mugabi, a three-year-old living in Kasugu B village in the district of Mayuge, Uganda, was… Read more
Success Story: Acting to Interprofessionally Strengthen the Rehabilitation Workforce in Uganda
Sep 25, 2023
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 limited workforce capacity to service increasing rehabilitation needs. Learning, Acting, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems (ReLAB-HS)… Read more
Provision of Simple Assistive Technology Services at the Primary Healthcare Level is Possible!
Sep 25, 2023
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 countries, only 3 percent of people have access to them. Limited available services with personnel trained in… Read more
Training Broadens the Reach of Rehabilitation Services, Improving Access at the Community Level
Sep 19, 2023
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, she had limited knowledge of these services and what role she could have in supporting community members who… Read more
Bringing Innovation to Primary Healthcare & Rehabilitation
Sep 15, 2023
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 like tablet-based assessment tools, centralized databases and supported decision-making are playing an important role in many community interventions including… Read more
The Second Global Rehabilitation Leadership Institute Advances the Prioritization of Rehabilitation on Pakistan’s Health and Political Agenda
Aug 29, 2023
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,” emphasized Dr. Abdulgafoor Bachani, Director of the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit (JH-IIRU) and Learning,… Read more