In the post-Covid era, community-based rehabilitation is most urgent: Balakrishna Venkatesh

With the glaring limitations in our healthcare services exposed, community involvement and rehabilitation for the disabled poor become absolutely essential, says the activist

The COVID-19 pandemic has more than ever before highlighted the need to strengthen rehabilitation services for the most vulnerable sections of society, which include the elderly and persons with disabilities. While communities have come forward and offered support, the pandemic has also exposed grave limitations in several low- and middle-income countries where there are little to no health or rehabilitation services available for those living in poverty.

From 1979, the World Health Organization has advocated Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) as an integral component of heathcare.

Balakrishna Venkatesh, Voluntary Convenor, Indian Forum for Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology (IFRA), says that CBR is the only comprehensive United Nations model that has stood the test of time to reach persons with disabilities in remote areas using barefoot and community development approaches. The recent exclusion, therefore, of CBR from two important WHO policy documents is worrying.