Pakistan has a population of more than 200 million people, and its health system is overburdened and faced with many challenges in trying to cater to the needs of the entire population. According to available data, 47 million people, or one in five Pakistanis, could benefit from rehabilitation. Approximately 16.8 percent of the population (40.4 million Pakistanis) need one or more assistive products to support their functioning; yet, only 3.7 percent have access to the assistive products they need.
Pakistan’s government is committed to ensuring equitable access to rehabilitation and assistive technology (AT) services. Pakistan sponsored the first-ever World Health Assembly resolution on AT in 2018 and hosted the first World Health Organization (WHO) regional meeting on the importance of AT in 2018. The rapid Assistive Technology Assessment (rATA), completed in Pakistan in 2019, represents an important step in identifying unmet needs and supporting the definition and implementation of more comprehensive policies.