The Health of People with Disabilities in Humanitarian Settings During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

People with disabilities are at a higher risk of poor health outcomes and face barriers to accessing health services, which may be exacerbated in humanitarian settings and during the Covid-19 pandemic. This scoping review explores how best to protect the health of people with disabilities in humanitarian contexts during the Covid-19 response. Forty-eight articles across the peer-reviewed and grey literature were identified. Key challenges include a lack of accessibility of mainstream Covid-19 prevention and response measures, disruptions to routine care pathways for people with disabilities, and double discrimination based on disability and displaced status. Specific priority areas include continuity of basic and specialised services, prioritisation of women and children with disabilities, the need to adapt mainstream recommendations for the Covid-19 response to be disability- and humanitarian-setting inclusive, and strengthening data systems.