Capacity-building Workshop on Disability-Inclusive Health Services and Sexual & Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR)

On August 4, 2026, A comprehensive capacity-building workshop on Disability-Inclusive Health Services and Sexual & Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) was successfully convened in Dhangadhi, Kailali, organized by the Health Directorate under the Ministry of Social Development, Sudurpashchim Province, in technical collaboration with Access Planet Organization and supported by the Girls Opportunity Alliance, the workshop brought together key institutional stakeholders, healthcare administrators, provincial health service providers, and disability rights activists.

•  To assess current health system capabilities, address deep-seated attitudinal, legal, structural, and communication barriers, and formulate actionable strategies to institutionalize disability-inclusive SRHR services across Sudurpashchim Province.

Core Focus Areas

• During the opening session, participants identified the following key priorities:
• Policy Clarity: Enhancing operational knowledge regarding national/provincial legal frameworks, policies, and health entitlements for persons with disabilities (PWDs).
• Practical Competencies: Developing clinical and interpersonal skills among healthcare providers to deliver respectful, non-discriminatory, and accessible health services.
• SRHR Protection: Strengthening protection mechanisms and reproductive rights frameworks tailored specifically to women and girls with disabilities.
• Institutional Adaptation: Utilizing policy-level intervention tools to transform public health facilities into accessible and disability-friendly environments.
• Systemic Barrier Removal: Identifying and systematically resolving behavioral, physical, and communication obstacles within health infrastructure.

Conclusion

"There remains a significant gap between our legal policy rhetoric and the daily lived experiences of persons with disabilities seeking health services. Robust research regarding deaf individuals, neurodiverse clients, and autism spectrum conditions remains severely lacking in our health system. We must re-align our health planning by placing ourselves directly in the shoes of service seekers and designing services to meet the highest standards of accessibility and human dignity."