PAHO presents the progress and challenges to improve access to rehabilitation in the Americas

Bogotá, Colombia, October 14, 2025 - Within the framework of the 33rd Colombian Congress of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the 4th Congress of the Latin American Scientific Society of Rehabilitation (SOCILAR), held from September 24 to 27, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) shared the key advances and challenges for strengthening rehabilitation services in the Region of the Americas.

Gustavo Pérez Reina, PAHO's Regional Advisor on Disability and Rehabilitation, presented PAHO's role in promoting public policies to improve access to and the quality of rehabilitation services. He highlighted strategies for achieving this: specific funding to improve the quality of rehabilitation services, leadership from ministries of health to integrate rehabilitation as an essential component of universal coverage, and the inclusion of rehabilitation in National Health Plans. Also, strengthening rehabilitation in primary care to improve access in rural, indigenous, and underserved communities, and implementing rehabilitation training plans for primary care staff, is key.

The Americas region faces a significant challenge: increased demand for rehabilitation services due to the rise in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and an aging population, which is estimated to reach around 150 million people by 2050 (between 18% and 20% of the population).

Given this situation, PAHO urgently calls on governments to prioritize rehabilitation in their health agendas. Through the Rehabilitation 2030 Initiative, WHA Resolution 76.6, and Sustainable Development Goal 3.8 on universal coverage, the organization offers technical support to countries, including:

Rehabilitation systems assessments are structured through governance, financing, service provision, workforce, assistive technology, and data collection.
Rehabilitation intervention packages, with an emphasis on the basic primary care package.
Competency frameworks and training modules on assistive technology.
Global assessments of the rehabilitation workforce.
PAHO has already provided technical support and collaborated in the development of strategic plans in countries such as Aruba, the Bahamas, Uruguay, El Salvador, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Colombia, in partnership with Emory University (USA), Ontario Tech University (Canada), and IMREA (Brazil), all PAHO Collaborating Centers.

PAHO is deeply committed to the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting health equity, South-South cooperation, financial sustainability, strategic partnerships, and collective action among Member States.