further contributes to their stigmatisation . The exclusion of persons with disability from social protection schemes and denying them healthcare coverage are common in low- and middle-income countries . Furthermore , complicated bureaucratic processes , such as a lengthy application process , the need for a bank account , and communication issues with healthcare insurance providers , risk causing disabled persons to be left behind .
In a number of countries , legislation that would address healthcare inequity among the disabled community has been hindered by the lack of an accountability mechanism that covers monitoring and enforcement in line with the WHO Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability ( CRPD ). This has disrupted the practice of disabled-friendly health service related to disability allowances , clinical protocols , and proper accommodation .
The discrepancy in healthcare delivery The United Nations ( UN ) Sustainable Development Goals emphasise that disabled persons should be accorded the highest possible healthcare quality that ensures positive outcomes and promotes wellbeing . However , the absence of disability-specific knowledge , skills , and competencies among health and care professionals is one of the most pervasive and significant hurdles to achieving that objective .
This is evident in the United States , where a survey conducted by Harvard Medical School found that only 41 percent of clinical physicians nationwide were �very confident� that they could provide equal quality of care to disabled and non-disabled patients . The findings , published in the journal �ealth �ffairs in 2021 , also showed that only 18 percent of physicians believed that the current healthcare system had unfairly treated disabled patients . The survey results represent a potentially skewed perspective among healthcare professionals , one that could lead to more significant healthcare disparities for the disabled community .
This insufficiently trained workforce remains a logistical challenge for local healthcare systems to adequately care for disabled patients and improve their treatment outcomes . For example , in South Africa , only 26 percent of disabled individuals receive the necessary rehabilitation services such as physiotherapy , occupational therapy , speech therapy , and hearing therapy due to a lack of rehabilitation specialists .
GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com ISSUE 2 | 2023
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