rural/urban, sex, and race, to ensure that there is no discrimination in access to and use of the health system. z. Include a gender perspective in National plans and policies in order to promote better health for both men and women. aa. Ensure that health systems respect cultural differences, and ethnic diversity, while encouraging members of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups to study medicine and public health and to join health systems as service providers. bb. Introduce, where necessary, national health insurance to ensure that individuals, especially those belonging to vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, are not prevented from accessing health care services and goods. cc. Adopt and implement policies that ensure that members of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups have access to medicines. Appropriate legislation and international trade regulation and cooperation should be utilised towards the establishment of scientifically sound pharmaceutical industries in Africa with particular emphasis on local African production for self-reliance in drug industries. This should include utilising parallel importation and compulsory licensing for medicines where available and applicable, to ensure the availability of drugs and technologies at affordable prices for treatment, care, and prevention of epidemic, endemic, occupational and other diseases including malaria, HIV/AIDS tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. States parties shall also take immediate action to use tax exemption and other incentives to reduce the prices of drugs and all other inputs in health care services for accelerated improvement of the health of individuals and peoples. dd. Intensify all efforts including criminalisation, social mobilisation, information and education to discourage harmful traditional practices, including particularly female genital mutilation, that interfere with the right to health; ee. Ensure provision of those specific health services needed by persons with psychosocial, intellectual and physical disabilities, including early diagnosis and access to humane and dignified care and treatment to enable their full enjoyment of life; ff. Integrate mental health care as far as possible into community health care systems and support persons with disabilities to live independently in the community, rather than in institutions. To this end special efforts should be taken to make appropriate services available, especially to persons living in rural areas and slums, and survivors of conflict. gg. Ensure the human rights of residents within existing institutions for people with psychosocial, intellectual and physical disabilities. Particular efforts must be made to prevent abuses through comprehensive regulation and monitoring of all care providers. hh. Ensure that persons with psychosocial or intellectual disabilities are not imprisoned in the general prison population, but rather should be housed in such a way that they are provided with appropriate support and, treatment. Where imprisonment has 27