18 Aug 2025

People with disabilities continue to face systematic inequities, from reduced life expectancy and a myriad of barriers in everyday life from inaccessible transportation to discriminatory health systems.

WHO Lead for Health Promotion and Social Determinants of Health, Mr Moagi Gaborone shared the sentiments at the Disability Health and Wellness Day in Gabane recently held under the theme: Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds: Empowering Persons with Disabilities Through Inclusion.

Mr Gaborone said the theme was a call to action, a commitment to equity and a vision for a world where every person, regardless of ability could thrive. Mr Gaborone further said people with disabilities often faced social stigma, isolation, and limited access to psychosocial support, which could lead to anxiety and depression.

He stressed that promoting mental well being was no luxury but a necessity thus inclusive mental health services, workplace accommodation, and anti-stigma campaigns must be part of every health strategy. He said the United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy demanded that disability inclusion be mainstream and targeted support, demonstrating that integrating disability inclusion was not an afterthought but a core function. 

He said the World Health Organisation’s Global report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities revealed that people with disabilities died up to 20 years earlier, experienced poorer health and faced systematic barriers to care.

Such outcomes, he said were not due to disability itself, but to unjust and avoidable conditions, which encircled discrimination, inaccessible, and exclusion from decision-making. He further described WHO’s launch of Disability Health Equity Initiative, as a bold global movement to transform health systems into inclusive, equitable spaces.

“This initiative was built on a quad of pillars, which entailed leadership by people with disabilities and their organisations, political prioritisation of disability-inclusive health, inclusive health systems and service delivery and lastly strengthening data and evidence for accountability,” he said.

He said equity must be a guiding principle, which must recognise that people with disabilities might need different support to achieve the same outcomes. He added that it meant tailoring health systems, education, employment, and social services to meet diverse needs hence ensuring that disability inclusion was not an afterthought but a foundation of every policy and programme.

He said the UN Flagship report on Disability and Development highlighted the persistent gaps in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for persons with disabilities hence such gaps needed closure, not with charity, but with justice. ENDS