At least 1/3 of the world's population has to be rehabilitated at some point during a period of illness or injury. In numerical terms there are 2.4 billion people in the world who need rehabilitation . If we break this down further, we can find geographic inequality in access to services, leading to higher rates of need in low- and middle-income settings where access to rehab services is not possible. Addressing this issue has never been more urgent, which is why Physiopedia is proud to announce our involvement in the ReLAB-HS project.
Here is the full press release.
We are pleased to announce that Physiopedia has received funding from the Leahy War Victims Fund (LWVF) of the United States Agency for International Development. Together with a wider consortium of partners, we will be working on a new international program that will meet the growing global demand for physical rehabilitation, including assistive technology and services. Since 1989, USAID has provided more than $ 300 million in Congressional funding to the LWVF to meet the growing needs for physical rehabilitation and assistive technology (AT) in more than 50 countries around the world.
Learning, Doing, and Building for Rehabilitation in Health Systems or ReLab-HS will work to empower the development of responsive lifespan physical rehabilitation services in the communities where they are most needed than Build health system governance and use technology and digital resources to improve physical rehabilitation worldwide.
The need for accessible rehabilitation services, including assistive technology, is urgent and growing. The proportion of the population over 60 will double in the next 30 years, most of whom will be living with chronic diseases. Approximately 150 million children and adolescents are disabled and injuries to people of all ages are increasing due to conflict, rapid urbanization and motorization. This huge unmet rehabilitation need is focused on the poorest and most vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries and in conflict-affected environments.
This US $ 39.5 million five-year program, launched in November, will transform health systems around the world and in a number of low- and middle-income countries with different levels of physical rehabilitation and infrastructure needs. ReLAB-HS provides a real opportunity to improve people's quality of life, functionality and independence through simple interventions in primary care and the use of technology to bring rehabilitation further into the community.
ReLAB-HS will focus on building local and international leadership, developing local, demand-driven approaches and innovations, and working primarily in the community and at home to implement real and relevant rehabilitation and policy solutions.
“This is an amazing opportunity for global rehabilitation. Physiopedia is dedicated to training therapists around the world, and participating in this program gives us the opportunity to radically increase the effectiveness and impact of our work. “ said Rachael Lowe.
“Through this program, in collaboration with the other consortium partners and the generous support of USAID, we can not only expand our mission to enable universal, equitable and integrative access to rehabilitation knowledge, but also with the broader work of all actors in the Reconciling rehabilitation to raise awareness of rehabilitation and its integration into health systems. "
ReLAB-HS is directed by the Johns Hopkins International Injury Research Unit at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA, and is jointly directed by the Nossal Institute for Global Health, Australia. Other global partners are Humanity and Inclusion, Miracle Feet, Physiopedia and UCP Wheels for Humanity.
Physiopedia looks forward to working together on this program to support the development of responsive rehabilitation services that can meet this escalating global challenge.
