Seminar on Rehabilitation Health Services and Assistive Technology

This seminar will invite the key rehabilitation stakeholders to outline their perspectives on the status and key challenges faced by the rehabilitation professionals and the sector, and to discuss strategies to address challenges reflecting on the following six health system building blocks.

1. Leadership, governance, and planning approaches for rehabilitation and AT, including rehabilitation and AT in emergency preparedness
2. Financing approaches for rehabilitation and AT
3. Approaches to generate information for rehabilitation and AT
4. Rehabilitation and AT workforce strengthening approaches
5. Strengthening supply chains for rehabilitation and AT
6. Expanding and improving the quality for rehabilitation and AP services

The discussion will include some of initiatives Bangladesh and Southeast Asia Region have taken to accelerate the rehabilitation and assistive technology in the health system. These initiatives include but not limited to development of the Priority Assistive Product List, the Rapid Assistive Technology Assessment, the Assistive Technology Capacity Assessment, and the “Framework for Providing Rehabilitation Services in the WHO South-East Asia Region.

Objectives:

1. To emphasize the importance of integrating rehabilitation services and assistive technologies into the national healthcare system.
2. To share best practices and innovations in rehabilitation and assistive care.
3. To advocate for inclusive policies, strategies, capacity-building, and sustainable investment for rehabilitation services in health system.
4. To encourage multi-sectoral engagement to ensure equitable access to rehabilitation services.
5. To highlight the current challenges and gaps in rehabilitation services and access to assistive technologies.

Target Audience:

• Health professionals including medical professionals, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, prosthetists & orthotists, speech and language therapists, psychologists and so on.
• Health policymakers and planners from government and health ministries.
• Researchers and academics working in disability and rehabilitation sciences.
• Representatives from NGOs, International organizations, and Donor agencies.

Suggested Guest List:

• Health Secretary
• Social Welfare Secretary
• Director General, Health Services
• Line Director, Noncommunicable Disease Control
• Line Director, Management Information System
• Ministry of Health, World Health Wing
• Head of Delegation, The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
• Registrar, Rehabilitation Council
• Diabetic foot care organizations
• Umbrella organizations for persons with disabilities.

Country Directors/Representatives from:

• World Health Organization (WHO)
• Humanity & Inclusion (HI)
• Helen Keller International (HKI)
• Christian Blind Mission (CBM)
• Centre for Disability in Development (CDD)
• Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC)
• Thengamara Mohyla Sabuj Sangha (TMSS)
• National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedic Rehabilitation (NITOR)
• Disabled Rehabilitation and Research Association (DRRA)
• Social Assistance and Rehabilitation for the Physically Vulnerable (SARPV)

Organizers:

• Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP)
• Bangladesh Health Professional Institute (BHPI)
• Bangladesh Physiotherapy Association (BPA)
• Bangladesh Occupational Therapy Association (BOTA),
• Society of Speech & Language Therapists (SSLT) and
• International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics, Bangladesh (ISPO-BD)

Collaboration:

Seminar is organized in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

Contact:

Mr. Amin Ahmed (Coordinator and Lecturer, School of P&O, BHPI, CRP)

Mr. Md. Abdullah Al Mamun (Coordinator, Asian Spinal Cord Network (ASCoN)