Inclusive Healthcare as a Shared Institutional Responsibility

Inclusive Healthcare as a Shared Institutional Responsibility

The event “Advancing the Right to Health for Persons with Disabilities” was held at the Assembly of the Republic of North Macedonia, organized by the partner organizations Association of Persons with Cerebral Palsy and Other Disabilities – Veles, Poraka – Negotino, and Eko-Život – Kavadarci, within the framework of the project “Addressing Challenges and Stigmatization”, financially supported by the Swiss Government through Civica Mobilitas. The event was implemented in cooperation with the Inter-Party Parliamentary Group on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Zeta Disability.

The event brought together around 120 participants, including the Minister of Health, the Director of the Health Insurance Fund, Members of Parliament, representatives of public institutions, civil society organizations, and families of persons with disabilities. Their presence and active participation reaffirmed that ensuring the right to health for persons with disabilities requires a coordinated and committed institutional response.

During the event, the findings of an analysis on the systemic challenges faced by persons with disabilities in exercising their right to healthcare were presented, together with concrete recommendations for improving existing policies.

Key Recommendations:
Ensure a funded personal companion, covered by the Health Insurance Fund, during hospitalization and spa-climate rehabilitation whenever required due to a person’s disability.
Allow access to spa-climate rehabilitation more than once per year, based on an individual’s medical condition and professional assessment.
Establish a network of regional rehabilitation centres for persons with disabilities to provide accessible, continuous, and high-quality rehabilitation services closer to where people live.

Proposed Measures for Systemic Improvement:
Ensure that orthopaedic assistive devices funded by the Health Insurance Fund are fully tailored to individual needs, with the possibility of choice and guaranteed quality.
Adapt healthcare facilities at all levels to ensure full physical, sensory, and communication accessibility.
Introduce mandatory and continuous training for healthcare professionals on working with persons with disabilities, based on a human rights and dignity approach.
Improve the “Moj Termin” (My Appointment) healthcare scheduling system by introducing priority booking mechanisms for persons with disabilities, particularly for those with higher support needs.

Inclusive healthcare is not an option—it is a prerequisite for equality, dignity, and a sustainable healthcare system.

As organizers, we remain committed to continuing this dialogue and transforming these recommendations into concrete policies and meaningful change.

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