Manual Wheelchairs - World Health Organization
Manual Wheelchairs - World Health Organization
Manual Wheelchairs - World Health Organization
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polIcy and plannIng I 117<br />
5. Financing<br />
Each of these four areas of basic wheelchair provision requires funding. Different funding strategies<br />
are described in Section 5.4. Typically, the costs of designing, producing and supplying a wheelchair,<br />
the delivery of wheelchair services and training of personnel are included in the price of the<br />
provided wheelchair, unless the costs are covered in other ways. It is recommended that policies:<br />
• specify funding mechanisms;<br />
• set eligibility criteria for funding;<br />
• specify the categories and standards of wheelchairs and services that are funded under the<br />
scheme; and<br />
• promote user empowerment and choice.<br />
Other support mechanisms for consideration in a policy<br />
Governments could also consider:<br />
• waiving import duties on raw materials used to build wheelchairs;<br />
• waiving import duties on wheelchairs if they are not available in the country;<br />
• supporting local nongovernmental and disabled people’s organizations that provide wheelchairs<br />
and related services through direct grants, or by facilitating relationships between local and<br />
international nongovernmental organizations, business communities and other stakeholders;<br />
• supporting private wheelchair manufacturing businesses through competitive tender offers,<br />
loans and training grants;<br />
• promoting the participation of users at every level of service planning and implementation;<br />
• removing architectural barriers to increased mobility, independence and participation, thus<br />
stimulating interest in, use of and demand for better wheelchairs; and<br />
• including wheelchair provision and allied issues (such as accessible environments and accessible<br />
transport) in other national policies.<br />
Boxes 5.5 and 5.6 give examples of policies related to wheelchair provision in India and Afghanistan,<br />
respectively.<br />
Box 5.5. Example of a policy in India related to wheelchair provision<br />
In India, the Persons with Disabilities (equal Opportunities, Protection of rights and Full Participation) Act (2) was<br />
adopted in 1995 as a result of continual lobbying by disability activists and nongovernmental organizations. This<br />
lobbying involved extensive consultations with officials, protest marches and press conferences (3). regarding<br />
wheelchairs, the Act states in Chapter vII: “The appropriate governments shall by notification make schemes to provide<br />
aids and appliances to persons with disabilities.”<br />
On the basis of this Act, the Indian government introduced the Assistance to Disabled Persons of India scheme, under<br />
which people with a monthly income of less than US$ 160 can get a wheelchair free of charge. If the monthly income is<br />
between US$ 161 and US$ 250 the user has to pay 50% of the cost, and if the income is above US$ 250, the user has to<br />
pay the full cost of the wheelchair.<br />
5