A medical ‘right to repair’ can empower consumers—and save lives

Medical Xpress July 15, 2024
Natasha Tusikov, The Conversation

Imagine waiting weeks or months for your wheelchair’s battery or custom cushions to be replaced. This is the situation throughout Canada that thousands of people with disabilities face not only in relation to wheelchairs, but also other assistive devices, including hearing aids and insulin pumps.

For people who rely upon assistive devices like wheelchairs, speedy and reliable repair is also an issue of autonomy. In Ontario, one of the biggest challenges with wheelchair repair is that the Ontario government has a repair contract with only one wheelchair company. Any repair delays leave wheelchair users without service and, worryingly, without the full use of their wheelchairs.

Disability advocates urge the Ontario government to open the repair contract to other suppliers. But...

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