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The World Health Organisation (WHO) has developed the assistive technology capacity assessment (ATA-C) tool, a system-level tool to evaluate a country’s capacity to finance, regulate, procure and provide assistive technology.

The ATA-C tool enables countries to better understand its current status and identify key actions to improve access to assistive technology; it can be used for awareness-raising, policy and programme design, and ongoing monitoring and evaluation.

WHO says its new assistive technology tool can also serve to bring diverse stakeholders together and build momentum for action.

To access the ATA-C tool and supporting documents, WHO has created a dedicated portal. Through this portal, WHO will provide technical support and facilitate coordination and connections between the diverse stakeholders in countries.

Developed in coordination with the Clinton Health Access Initiative and support of many other in-country partners, the ATA-C tool forms part of a three-part toolkit from WHO, which is designed to help countries collect effective and relevant data on assistive technology.

With a global ageing population, access to assistive technology is becoming more and more important, as it enables people to live independently and participate education, work, as well as family and community life, while reducing strain on overstretched health and social care services.

To help overcome barriers to accessing assistive technology, WHO’s three-part toolkit will help countries collect data to inform decision for policy and programme design, raise awareness on the need and impact of assistive technology, and galvanise political support and resources for assistive technology.

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