General health care

Health can be defined as “a state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (1). Good health is a prerequisite for participation in a wide range of activities including education and employment. Article 25 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) reinforces the right of persons with disabilities to attain the highest standard of health care, without discrimination (2). A wide range of factors determine health status, including individual factors, living and working conditions, general socioeconomic, cultural and environmental conditions, and access to health care services (3, 4). This Report shows that many people with disabilities experience worse socioeconomic outcomes than people without disabilities: they experience higher rates of poverty, lower employment rates, and have less education. They also have unequal access to health care services and therefore have unmet health care needs compared with the general population (5–8). This chapter focuses on how health systems can address the health ine-qualities experienced by people with disabilities. It provides a broad over-view of their health status, explores the main barriers to using health care, and suggests ways to overcome them.