International Centre for Evidence in Disability, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
Pan-African Treatment Access Movement, Harare, Zimbabwe.
Glob Health Action. 2022 Dec 31;15(1):2032929. doi: 10.1080/16549716.2022.2032929.
The National Disability Policy was launched in Zimbabwe in June 2021 and includes a range of commitments for the provision of disability-inclusive health services and rehabilitation. Fulfilment of these pledges is important, as at least 7% of the population have disabilities, and people with disabilities face greater challenges accessing healthcare services and experience worse health outcomes. However, it will require financial investment which is challenging as the needs of people with disabilities are set against a background of widespread health systems failures in Zimbabwe, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Zimbabwe currently faces an epidemic of TB and HIV and a growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with a lack of investment, healthcare staff or infrastructure to provide the necessary care. Urgent action is therefore needed to strengthen the health system and 'build back better' after both the pandemic and the regime change. The Zimbabwean government may face the dilemma, common in many low-resource settings, of whether to focus on disability or to wait until the health system has been strengthened for the majority. This paper proposed four complementary arguments why it is important to focus on people with disabilities. First, this focus respects the rights of people with disabilities, including those specified in the new National Disability Policy. Second, it will be challenging to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, including those on health and other global health targets, without including people with disabilities. Third, there is a growing rationale that disability-inclusive health systems will work better for all, and fourth, that they will create cost savings. Everyone will therefore benefit when the health systems are designed for inclusion. In conclusion, a focus on disability may help to strengthen health systems for all as well as helping to achieve human rights and global development goals.
《国家残疾政策》于 2021 年 6 月在津巴布韦推出，其中包括为提供包容残疾的保健服务和康复提供一系列承诺。履行这些承诺很重要，因为津巴布韦至少有 7%的人口有残疾，残疾人在获得保健服务方面面临更大的挑战，健康状况更差。然而，这需要财政投资，这是具有挑战性的，因为残疾人的需求是在津巴布韦广泛的卫生系统失败的背景下提出的，而新冠肺炎疫情加剧了这种情况。津巴布韦目前面临结核病和艾滋病毒的流行，以及非传染性疾病负担的增加，而投资、医疗保健人员或基础设施的缺乏使得无法提供必要的护理。因此，需要采取紧急行动来加强卫生系统，并在疫情和政权更迭之后“更好地重建”。津巴布韦政府可能面临一个困境，即在许多资源匮乏的环境中很常见，是专注于残疾问题，还是等到为大多数人加强卫生系统后再关注残疾问题。本文提出了四个互补的论点，说明为什么关注残疾人很重要。首先，这种关注尊重了残疾人的权利，包括新的《国家残疾政策》中规定的权利。其次，如果不包括残疾人，就很难实现包括卫生和其他全球卫生目标在内的可持续发展目标。第三，越来越多的理由表明，包容残疾的卫生系统将对所有人都更好，第四，它们将节省成本。当卫生系统的设计是为了包容所有人时，每个人都会受益。总之，关注残疾问题可能有助于加强所有人的卫生系统，同时有助于实现人权和全球发展目标。
