A landmark resolution on “Strengthening rehabilitation in health systems” was adopted by 194 Members States at the 2023 World Health Assembly (WHA).

The resolution recognises the large global need for rehabilitation and the significant gap in service availability, especially in low- and middle-income countries. There was an overwhelming emphasis that rehabilitation should be available to entire populations, should be integrated into health planning and implementation and recognition that ehabilitation is an important enabler for quality of life and participation in the community.

The Assembly recognised that successful implementation of its resolution is critical to ensure the enjoyment of human rights - including the best possible physical and mental health - and highlighted a number of key issues:

 - the urgent need to address the lack of an adequate rehabilitation workforce
 - common challenges faced in accessing affordable, quality and appropriate rehabilitation services, particularly for marginalized and vulnerable populations
 - the importance of raising awareness of rehabilitation among policy- and decision-makers when setting health priorities
 - the need to better equip countries in responding to rehabilitation needs, including assistive technology, in the context of health emergencies.

Several innovative approaches and specific recommendations were proposed by Member States. These included an approach by Namibia to provide financial incentives for people taking up studies in the rehabilitation field, to address the crucial issue of workforce limitations and the development of quantitative indicators, as noted by the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The WHA resolution calls for key actions to be taken by Member States, international organizations and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen rehabilitation in health systems and the WHO Secretariat will report on their progress in implementing this resolution to the World Health Assembly in 2026, 2028 and 2030.