Ireland is moving to the forefront of a global effort to close one of health care's most persistent and overlooked gaps: access to assistive technology. In partnership with the World Health Organization, the Irish government is backing a five-year initiative intended to make essential assistive products more affordable, more available and more closely integrated into health systems around the world.
The commitment comes at a moment when demand is rising sharply. WHO says 2.5 billion people currently need assistive technology, a figure that includes older persons, people with disabilities and those living with health conditions. That need is expected to grow dramatically as populations age and noncommunicable diseases become more common. By 2050, WHO estimates that 3.5 billion people will require assistive technology, underscoring the scale of the challenge facing governments and health systems.
In March 2024, Anne Rabbitte, Ireland's Minister of State with special responsibility for disabilities at the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, agreed to a €12.5 million donor agreement between the Government of Ireland and WHO. The funding is aimed at accelerating affordability and availability of assistive technology for people in need, while also helping countries build systems that can identify, refer and serve patients more effectively.
The partnership builds on years of cooperation between Ireland and WHO. In 2022, Taoiseach Micheál Martin launched the Global report on assistive technology alongside WHO Director-General and the Executive Director of UNICEF. At the time, Martin stressed the importance of international cooperation to ensure more equitable access to assistive technology and to move toward a society where everyone is included and enabled to live their best life.
Rabbitte said Ireland had identified "the serious need to invest in public health systems alongside the WHO," warning that rising health needs and a shrinking pool of health and social care professionals worldwide create an urgent need for action. She said Ireland's contribution aligns with the recommendations of the Global Report on Assistive Technology and supports a five-year initiative toward national health system models that include assistive technology.
According to Rabbitte, the programme will explore how digital technology can help deliver people-centred services, shape assistive technology policy, improve the affordability and appropriateness of assistive products, strengthen provision systems and boost the capacity of health personnel. That includes helping workers identify, screen, refer and provide assistive technology to those who need it most.
The emphasis on digital tools is central to the initiative. WHO has increasingly highlighted the role of technology in overcoming barriers to care, particularly in settings where specialist staff are limited and access to services is uneven. Digital platforms can support training, remote mentoring and communication between health workers, while also helping countries expand access beyond major hospitals and urban centers.
A WHO example from Tanzania illustrates the model. Health personnel there have participated in online training on assistive products as part of a broader program to provide simple assistive products through community and primary health care facilities. The approach is designed to make items such as walking aids and reading glasses more readily available locally, reducing the need for long travel or specialist referrals. WHO said digital technology was instrumental in enabling efficient learning through the platform and in supporting health workers through communication apps after training.
Dr Yukiko Nakatani, WHO Assistant Director-General for Access to Medicines and Health Products, welcomed Ireland's contribution and its leadership in the digital initiative. She pointed to the 2018 World Health Assembly resolution on assistive technology, which called on WHO to take the necessary steps to promote equitable access in the effort to build a more inclusive world.
"Our partnership with the Government of Ireland will support WHO in achieving our mission to ensure health for all, everywhere," Nakatani said, framing the agreement as part of a broader push to make assistive technology a routine and integrated part of health care rather than a luxury available only to a few.
The agreement also reflects a wider shift in global health thinking: assistive technology is increasingly being treated not as a niche disability issue, but as a core component of universal health coverage, workforce resilience and social inclusion. For millions of people, access to a pair of glasses, a hearing aid, a wheelchair or a prosthetic can determine whether they can work, study, communicate and participate fully in daily life.
By pairing financing with digital innovation and health-system strengthening, Ireland and WHO are betting that assistive technology can be scaled more efficiently and more equitably. The success of that effort will depend on whether countries can translate the partnership's ambitions into practical services that reach people where they live, especially in communities that have long been left behind.