1.3 billion people
live with a disability globally
Yet when accessing healthcare, persons with disabilities still face major barriers.
Persons with disabilities are consistently marginalized when accessing healthcare services. As a result, they experience worse health outcomes and a staggering 10-20 years life expectancy gap compared to persons without disabilities.
1.5x
higher cervical cancer mortality rate
2x
more likely to have HIV/AIDS
3x
higher COVID-19 mortality rate
3x
more likely to have Diabetes
10x
more likely to be seriously ill as a child
50%
more likely to suffer catastrophic health expenditure
The Missing Billion Initiative is a time-bound catalyst for system-change.
We facilitate better health access and outcomes for persons with disabilities, to truly achieve universal health coverage.
Solutions
To help Ministries of Health (and other implementers) identify and implement concrete actions
Data
To inform and influence global health funders and implementers why and how to make health systems disability-inclusive
Community
To enable joint action and collaboration of all health stakeholders to solve the Missing Billion issue
Why this matters
Access to quality healthcare services is essential for ensuring the highest quality of life and well-being for all.
Access to quality healthcare is a fundamental human right. The barriers persons with disabilities face in receiving care is a breach in international law.
Global health goals such as Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Health and Wellbeing) are unattainable without making health services accessible the 1.3 billion persons with disabilities.
Designing health systems for persons with disabilities improves health services for everyone.