WHO and leading disabled people's organizations discuss creation of a strategy for developing standards for the provision of wheelchair services in developing countries
19 April 2005 - Together with representatives of leading disabled people's organizations and other nongovernmental organizations, WHO hosted an informal consultation on 13-14 April 2005 on the development, production and distribution of wheelchairs to persons with disabilities in developing countries. Participants included staff from the International Society for Prosthetics & Orthotics (ISPO), the Centre for International Rehabilitation in the USA, Motivation in the UK, the Leahy War Victims Fund of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and WHO. The meeting sought to create a strategy for developing standards for the provision of wheelchair services to disabled persons in developing countries, and related issues including training. The two-day meeting concluded with following recommendations:
- WHO will facilitate a working group meeting to develop a discussion document involving the key stakeholders and disabled people's organizations producing wheelchairs. The meeting will be jointly organized by ISPO, USAID and WHO.
- A team led by ISPO will review existing wheelchair development, production and distribution systems around the world.
- A consensus conference will be organized jointly in September/October 2006.
- The standards for the provision of wheelchair services in developing countries, including guidelines on the development, production and distribution of wheelchairs, will be available in 2008.