“Before, I had to travel to Tbilisi just to get my devices fixed,” says Guladi, a 46-year-old amputee and football player from Zugdidi. “My prosthetics and crutches are important for me to be visible in society. This is a way for us to make our mark and be active.”
Until recently, thousands of Georgians lacked access to essential aids, such as wheelchairs, hearing devices and walking supports. Now, the country is integrating assistive technology (AT) directly into health systems, transforming access for people with disabilities and functional limitations across the country, especially in rural areas.
Supported by WHO and ATscale, the Global Partnership for Assistive Technology, this system-based model marks a major step towards building a complete AT ecosystem – ensuring product availability, workforce readiness and service delivery, and related enabling policies.
Expanding the national programme
WHO’s 2021 data revealed staggering unmet needs in Georgia: 33 300 wheelchairs, 62 900 hearing aids and 25 900 mobility products. However, that gap is beginning to close as AT provision is woven into the national health system, rather than being delivered through separate, fragmented channels.
The transformation began in 2021 when Georgia adopted a National List of Priority Assistive Products, aligned with WHO’s global Priority Assistive Products List. This shifted procurement from ad hoc purchases to a nationally guided strategy.
With WHO and ATscale support, Georgia expanded its state-funded coverage from 13 products in 2022 to 24 in 2024, including mobility aids, prosthetics and orthoses, hearing and vision devices and self-care products. Authorities are also considering adding advanced technologies, such as talking watches and DAISY readers.
Pilot projects in Samegrelo and Adjara are already demonstrating results. Local primary health-care (PHC) facilities now serve as access points for wheelchairs, walking aids and self-care products. Trained frontline providers identify needs, prescribe devices and guide users in their proper use – a crucial innovation for rural communities.
Building services around users
The government’s financial commitment to AT has grown significantly. The state budget increased from 5.5 million GEL (US$ 2.1 million) in 2023 to a projected 8.5 million GEL (US$ 3 million) in 2025 – a 55% rise in just 2 years.
These funds now fully cover pediatric and electric wheelchairs and hearing aids, while adult users of manual wheelchairs only pay a small contribution. Glasses are not yet included, but a WHO-supported report strongly recommends their inclusion in the future. The country also introduced a government budget to pay for consultation fees for every AT user assisted by a PHC provider – an incentive to ensure personalized, assessment-based care.
Reforms have tackled long-standing service delivery gaps. Previously, patients who underwent amputations lacked referral pathways for prosthetic and orthotic support. In response, WHO worked with national specialists to establish a structured referral system, ensuring continuity of care and proper rehabilitation.
These developments mark a shift toward user-centred design – building services around individual needs, not institutional structures.
Toward an inclusive future
Georgia’s efforts show how WHO’s model, anchored in policy reform, health system integration, sustainable financing and user-centred services, can transform lives. The convergence of new policies, expanded budgets and innovative partnerships is creating a future where AT is no longer a privilege but a right.
“This is more than a policy reform – it’s about independence and dignity,” says Silviu Domente, WHO Representative and Head of the WHO Country Office in Georgia. “Once again, Georgia is making bold steps for innovative approaches, proving that assistive technology belongs at the core of every health system.”