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POLICY AND PRACTICE REVIEWS article

Front. Rehabil. Sci.

Sec. Strengthening Rehabilitation in Health Systems

Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fresc.2025.1664118

Global Practices in AT Provision: Considerations for a National Assistive Technology Policy for Health in India

Provisionally accepted
Rakesh Kumar SrivastavaRakesh Kumar Srivastava1Hitesh Kumar SharmaHitesh Kumar Sharma2ASHOO GROVERASHOO GROVER2Ruchir MalikRuchir Malik2Manisha PandaManisha Panda2Mandip AujlaMandip Aujla3Ravinder SinghRavinder Singh2*
  • 1National Institute of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, India
  • 2Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, India
  • 3Independent Consultant, London, United Kingdom

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Functional impairment refers to limitations in performing basic activities necessary for independent living, mobility, communication or social participation. Meeting the needs of people with functional impairments is an essential part of strengthening India’s health system. Present article is an attempt to cover the individuals with functional impairments under proposed Health Policy on AT, which otherwise have inadequate attention in existing public health policies, acts, and laws. Assistive technologies (AT), such as wheelchairs, white canes, hearing aids, spectacles, prosthetic limbs, communication boards, memory aids, adapted writing tools, and self-care devices, play a vital role in improving functionality, enhancing quality of life, and enabling participation in education, employment, and community activities. Based on wide range of articles reviewed from the countries with best provisioning models on AT, present health policy article proposes recommendations for a comprehensive inclusive National AT Policy for India. The policy considerations emphasize legal entitlements, sustainable financing, equitable access, integration into health systems, digital inclusion, localized manufacturing, and cross-sector collaboration. Implementing assistive technology policy is not only essential to improve public health outcomes, but also for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and realizing India’s vision of “Viksit Bharat” by 2047.

Keywords: Assistive Technology, Health Policy, Universal Health Coverage, Inclusive HealthSystems, Public Health

Received: 30 Jul 2025; Accepted: 17 Oct 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Srivastava, Sharma, GROVER, Malik, Panda, Aujla and Singh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Ravinder Singh, aaressjay@gmail.com

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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