ELDERLY AND DISABLED ASSISTIVE DEVICES MARKET ANALYSIS

Key Developments

• On January 2024, The Central government is initiating PM Divyasha Kendras (PMDK) to reduce waiting times for assistive devices such as wheelchairs, prosthetics, hearing aids, and spectacles for low vision individuals. These one-stop centres will be established within All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), beginning with collaborations at AIIMS Nagpur, Kalyani (West Bengal), Rishikesh, and Delhi in the upcoming months.
• In June 2023, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) launched the National Center for Assistive Health Technologies, IIT Madras (NCAHT-IITM), in collaboration with the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR). This initiative aims to advance Research and Development in assistive technologies, which include rehabilitative devices for individuals with disabilities and the elderly.
• In December 2023 Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), a Maharatna public sector enterprise, collaborated with the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) to distribute assistive devices to individuals with disabilities (divyangjans).