A worker at the National Orthopaedic Centre (NOC), Dushanbe, fabricating locally manufactured mobility products. The ATscale-supported programme has been supporting NOC to refresh their strategy and implementation plan. Photo: WHO Tajikistan.
Tajikistan is making significant strides towards strengthening access to assistive technology (AT) through its commitment to the National Health Strategy 2030. This commitment is clearly demonstrated by the substantial increase in the national budget for AT, which has risen from 4.5 million TJS in 2019 (approximately $207,000 USD) to 14.6 million TJS in 2025 (approximately $1,520,000 USD).
To oversee the implementation of the National AT Action Plan, formally adopted in November 2023, a dedicated coordination committee has been established. Despite these efforts, a large unmet need for assistive technology persists. For example, the government provides an estimated 1,000-1,500 wheelchairs annually, which is less than 10%% of the known demand.
The challenges have been difficult to overcome, with limited resources and a centralized system for service provision. Other issues include the fact that internationally procured products may not be suited to local conditions, and locally produced goods do not fully meet domestic demand. Furthermore, there has been limited training and capacity for AT provision among the health workforce, and until now, AT was not integrated into the country’s primary health care (PHC) services.
To address these health system challenges, the One-Stop-Shop AT provision centres programme was designed in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, WHO EURO, WHO Tajikistan through the support of ATscale, and introduced in four prioritized districts. This programme represents a major shift in how AT is delivered, and the government has demonstrated its political commitment by passing a decree to formalise AT provision through the PHC system. For the first time in Tajikistan, this programme has made a range of quality AT accessible to the general population at no cost, not just to registered persons with disabilities. These services, which include assessment, fitting, user training, and follow-up, are now all available at the same location within primary health care centres.
The impact of the One-Stop-Shop programme is already being felt. To date, 300 people have received assistive products across 12 district and rural health centres, and the ambitious target is to provide 10,000 products by the end of the programme. Over 100 health workers from these districts have been trained on topics such as mobility and self-care, vision and hearing, and wheelchair services. This includes staff who are now equipped to support individuals with wheelchairs, offering assistance with product selection, fitting, training, follow-up care, and maintenance and repairs.
These efforts have also introduced new products previously unavailable in these communities, such as programmable hearing aids, reverse walkers, and active user wheelchairs, raising awareness among both health staff and local residents about the value of AT.