About 250 million Indians need assistive technologies (ATs) to cope with disabilities, aging, or chronic illnesses. However, they face barriers in accessing quality and affordable ATs. ICMR and other partners have identified some priority ATs for India and are working on developing and delivering them indigenously. They aim to make ATs accessible and affordable for all who need them.

Shedding light on India's 'Growing Need for Assistive Technologies' during a session at the 8th National Health Writers and Influencers Convention (NHWIC-2024) held at AIIMS, New Delhi, Dr. R K Srivastava, Former Chairman of the Medical Council of India & Ex-Director General of Health Service (DGHS), Government of India (GoI), emphasised the increasing demand for assistive care solutions. He highlighted the significance of these solutions for the elderly, long-term hospital patients, and individuals with congenital or acquired disabilities. This demographic comprises 18% of India's population, indicating a substantial requirement for assistive care products ranging from spectacles to wheelchairs.

Deliberating on bridging the gap between development and delivery, Dr. Ashoo Grover, Scientist F & Deputy Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi (ICMR), highlighted the importance of evidence-based implementation research in bridging the gap between innovative products and end-users. She emphasised the need for collaborative efforts to ensure the affordability, accessibility, and customization of assistive technologies, such as spectacles, hearing aids, and wheelchairs, to meet the diverse needs of individuals with disabilities.

Highlighting the global scale of the issue, Dr. Srivastava noted that in developed countries, up to 30 to 40 percent of the population requires assistive technologies, while in less developed countries, it accounts for about 18 percent. In India, with a population of 1.4 billion, this equates to a staggering number, emphasizing the urgency of addressing the issue.

Representing ICMR, Dr. Grover spoke further about their efforts to bridge the gap between developing and delivering crucial ATs to the population. She stressed the importance of evidence-based solutions and the need for health technology assessments to ensure the effectiveness, affordability, and accessibility of these technologies.

Dr. Srivastava emphasized the increasing demand for ATs in India, driven by factors like a growing geriatric population, rising non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and congenital or acquired disabilities. He highlighted the importance of raising awareness about the various assistive devices available, ranging from eyeglasses and wheelchairs to communication aids and prosthetic limbs.

Dr. Chandrakant S Pandav, a Padma Shri Awardee & Renowned Global Public Health Expert known as the ‘Iodine Man of India,’ & a prominent Advocate for People with Disabilities, shared his personal experiences using a wheelchair and emphasized the lack of societal acceptance and infrastructure faced by the disabled community in India. He called for a change in societal attitudes towards individuals who rely on ATs, urging people to view them as valued members of society.

Dr. Srivastava stressed the need for a positive shift in society's attitude towards individuals using assistive technologies, while emphasizing the critical importance of timely, affordable, and high-quality assistive products for all members of society. The session concluded with a call for collaboration between various stakeholders, including researchers, policymakers, manufacturers, healthcare providers.