DONATE

Sightsavers calls on global health leaders to stop discrimination amid COVID-19

May 2020

Global health leaders have been urged to make sure people with disabilities are not discriminated against during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are able to access the healthcare they need.

A statement issued by Sightsavers to the World Health Assembly, the annual meeting of World Health Organization (WHO) member states, on 18 May called for support in making sure responses to the current global health crisis were inclusive and accessible to all.

It commended the WHO on its leadership on COVID-19, and asked for support in making sure people with disabilities are able to access healthcare facilities, as well as messaging about public health, quarantine and emergency response measures.

Dom Haslam, Sightsavers’ deputy CEO, said: “People with disabilities face excessive barriers to accessing healthcare in normal times, and it has become increasingly clear that this has only been exacerbated further in the current challenging climate.

“We urge governments to ensure the rights and needs of people with disabilities are effectively covered in COVID-19 responses. Decisions taken on allocating resources must never be taken based on pre-existing conditions or medical bias against people with disabilities.”

Reports from the WHO and other UN agencies say people with disabilities are being disproportionately affected by COVID-19, not only because of increased risk for people with existing health conditions, but also because of discrimination in the health, economic and other responses by governments to the COVID-19 crisis.

Sightsavers is also supporting a new campaign launched by two leading disability rights organisations calling on governments around the world to ensure that people with disabilities must be included in the measures to contain and treat COVID-19.

The International Disability Alliance (IDA) and International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) said there was a concerning lack of protocols to ensure disability inclusion during emergency and COVID-19 responses, and worrying accounts that the people with disabilities were having to shoulder some of the worst effects of virus.

Woman pushing child in wheelchair

Guidance for including people with disabilities in COVID-19 response

Practical guidance for development partners to develop disability-inclusive responses to the COVID-19 pandemic during the emergency phase.

Read the guidance

Read all our latest news stories

News from Sightsavers
A boy wearing a bright blue shirt washes his face using water from a tap.
sightsavers_news

Sightsavers research project aims to map the impact of climate change on NTDs

Led by Sightsavers and the Walker Institute, the project will work with the Malawian government to explore a range of future scenarios, and what these would mean for its efforts to curb NTDs.

November 2023
Two staff members enter ask a man questions during a survey about river blindness.
sightsavers_news

Sightsavers launches new action plan on inclusive data

The updated plan reaffirms Sightsavers' commitment to enhancing inclusive data and collaboration in the international development sector.

November 2023
A close-up of a man's hand holding a white cane.
sightsavers_news

Sightsavers welcomes UK white paper on international development

We applaud the clear focus on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and ending extreme poverty, as well as the specific section on people with disabilities.

November 2023

Learn about our work to save sight