The World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) recently introduced the first comprehensive study on assistive technology, known as the Global Report on Assistive Technology (GReAT). This report is a product of the 71st World Health Assembly resolution in 2018, highlighting significant gaps in the availability and access to assistive technology globally, an issue closely tied to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) relating to Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Assistive Technology: What Is It and Why Is It Significant?
Assistive Technology (AT) refers to any equipment, software program, or product system that enhances, sustains, or improves the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Examples include prosthetics, braces, walkers, special switches, purpose-built computers, screen readers, and specialized curricular software.
In terms of universal AT coverage, it suggests that everyone, everywhere should have access to the necessary AT without financial or other hardships. The WHO’s Priority Assistive Products List launched in 2018 features critical items for older people and those with disabilities, such as hearing aids, wheelchairs, communication aids, spectacles, artificial limbs, pill organizers, memory aids, among others.
The Importance of the Global Report on Assistive Technology
The GReAT report highlights the criticality of AT with more than 2.5 billion people globally needing one or more assistive products, like wheelchairs, hearing aids, or apps that facilitate communication and cognition. However, a billion people are denied such access, especially in low- and middle-income countries, where the accessibility could be as low as 3%.
The report also projects this need to elevate to 3.5 billion by 2050 due to rising aging populations and increasing prevalence of non-communicable diseases. Affordability poses a significant challenge to access, and gaps in service provision and trained workforce for AT are considerable, particularly in cognition, communication, and self-care.
The Status of Assistive Technology in India
According to the 2011 Census, the national estimate of people with disabilities in India is 2.21% of the total population, predominantly those in the 19-59 age group, including individuals with visual, hearing, speech, locomotor, and mental disabilities. Despite a 22.4% increase in the disabled population between 2001 and 2011, only 21.8% reported receiving aid from the government, and another 1.8% from other organizations, as per the National Sample Survey’s 76th round (July- December 2018) report.
The WHO-developed rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA) tool is designed to measure the unmet need for assistive technology, serving as an accurate representation of the demand side once available for India.
Health-Industry Interface: A Must for Universal Assistive Technology Coverage
Ensuring universal AT coverage requires an effective health-industry interface, requiring collaborative efforts across academia, industry, and government for production and provision of the entire AT spectrum, integration of rehabilitation services in long-term care, and promotion of community-based rehabilitation.
Efforts should also focus on manufacturing components of the AT system to cater to diverse user needs, provide a broader product range, and create a regulatory framework ensuring safe, reliable, and effective products as per approved norms. These initiatives would greatly aid disabled persons and help fulfill their rehabilitation needs.
Recommendations for Better Assistive Technology Access
Among recommendations put forth, key ones include integration of AT within education, healthcare, and social care systems; ensuring availability, safety, efficacy, and affordability of assistive products; diversification and improvement in workforce capacity; increasing public awareness and combatting stigma; investing in research, innovation, and an enabling ecosystem; and including AT in humanitarian responses.
The report underscores the urgent need to guarantee universal access to assistive technology for an inclusive society, especially for individuals with disabilities and the elderly.
