Barriers faced due to pricing of Existing Powered wheel chairs.

With a population close to 1.37 billion, the population of India remains majorly affected by several disabilities. Approximately 15-20% of the children population is affected by cerebral palsy and other related diseases in India. Thought over solutions have been engineered for aiding such population however they pose the following drawbacks: The present manual wheelchairs are very expensive which poses affordability issues for many users; in addition to that they pose the issue of accessibility and smooth mobility across different terrains for the end-users. Even if we take into consideration the power wheel chair products, they are not cost effective due to an expensive design to manufacture cost hence their reach remains limited, resulting to a struggle faced by the power wheel chair solutions already existing in the market. Most of the affected cannot afford these power wheel chairs as they range between 40,000-70,000 Rupees in the domestic market. In addition to that the import duties imposed on such products when procured internationally and slower formulation and implementation of government policies adds to the increasing prices. The people affected by such life-altering disabilities face major issues in life. They have to excessively depend upon assistance for performing their daily tasks which in turn lessens their confidence and the will to work towards getting better. These kind events hold a very strong psychological impact on the mental health of the patient, which equally plays a role in their betterment. Hence the ultimate objective, i.e. helping the affected lead an easier life remains defeated. Read less