WHO webinar: What role does disability, stigma and mental health play in achieving the NTD road map targets?

NTDs are linked with stigma which, together with the impact of disabilities and poverty, can cause social exclusion, associated with significant mental health consequences. The road map proposes fundamental shifts in focusfrom specific diseases to people‐centred approaches and to gauge programmatic impact not only on diseases averted but also on high‐quality care for people affected by NTDs, to ensure that actual patient experience and suffering alleviated are documented appropriately.

The webinar will consider:

• WHO’s definition of health1, and the physical, mental and social well-being of individuals that is central to the fight against NTDs;
• patient-centred, holistic approaches, to enhance gender equity and the rights of all to health services;
• the importance of disease management, disability and inclusion in achieving the elimination targets and in holistic approaches towards the long-term consequences of NTDs; and
• collaboration between NTD and mental health, disability prevention and rehabilitation programmes, to address the gap and silent burden of NTDs.