Advancing the World Health Assembly's landmark Resolution on Strengthening Rehabilitation in Health Systems: unlocking the Future of Rehabilitation

In May 2023, the historic Resolution on Strengthening Rehabilitation in Health Systems was adopted unanimously by the 194 Member States of the World Health Assembly (WHA), the highest health policy-setting body. The resolution aims to scale up and integrate rehabilitation into health systems as part of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to address the growing rehabilitation needs due to the global ageing population, the increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases, and the emergence of new infectious diseases such as COVID-19. Globally, data extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study in 2019 showed that one out of three people could benefit from rehabilitation, while more than half of the population in many countries is not receiving essential rehabilitation services. This special article highlights the global challenges in meeting rehabilitation needs and emphasizes the importance of affordable, accessible, and quality rehabilitation services for vulnerable populations. The resolution’s path, which started in 2017 with the “Rehabilitation 2030: a Call for Action” initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO), is outlined. We summarize the key aspects of the WHA resolution, including its requests for Member States, international organizations, and the WHO Director-General. Finally, we discuss the way forward towards implementation, involving advocacy and concrete actions by all stakeholders, with the support of the newly established World Rehabilitation Alliance. The goal is to integrate rehabilitation into health systems worldwide, thus improving the well-being and socio-economic participation of those in need.