Despite some financial allocations and social security initiatives for assistive technologies (AT) in Pakistan, 94% of AT users pay out of pocket. This results in a substantial unmet need for assistive products (APs) among individuals with rehabilitation needs. The existing reimbursement mechanisms for APs are limited to relatively few individuals, mostly working with and for the government, and are scattered and overlap across different sectors, organizations, and insurance schemes and only cover a limited range of products. This fragmented responsibility structure leads to inefficiencies, confusion, and obstacles for a comprehensive and cohesive reimbursement policy for APs.
To address these challenges, ReLAB-HS supported key stakeholders and members of the National Technical Working Group on Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology to convene a policy roundtable, generating solutions and formulating key stakeholder-specific recommendations.
Financing solutions to reduce out-of-pocket expenditures for assistive products in Pakistan