It is estimated that there are currently up to 56,000 people living with disabilities that require prosthetics and assistive devices in Mongolia (Mendee 2021). In a country with an economy based primarily on jobs requiring physical labor in the service, agricultural, and mining/production sectors, this estimate indicates there are a large number of people living in Mongolia who, without access to functional and affordable prosthetics, will struggle to enter or re-join the workforce and provide for themselves and their families (NSO of Mongolia).

There are currently only two viable options for buying prosthetics in Mongolia. There are two prosthesis factories in Mongolia that can create sturdy, traditional, but not advanced, prosthetics for an average cost of 1,000 to 1,500 USD and serve a combined 1,500 to 1,700 Mongolians, or about 3% of the predicted community in need, each year (Munkhzul 2020). For those who cannot afford the cost of these prosthetics, of which only a portion is gnerally covered by the Mongolian welfare system, the other option is to order a pre-produced resin-based prosthetic from China for an average price of 160 USD (Mendee 2021).  These prosthetics take more than two weeks to arrive, are not comfortably fit, have very low capability, and even have been reported to posess a very unpleasant odor (Mendee 2021). Unfortunately, the relatively low cost of the low-end prosthetics available to order from China is directly proportional to the low likelihood that these prosthetics will be effectively used. According to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), an estimated 27.8% of Mongolians live below the international poverty line, making any non-covered costs associated with improving the fit, appearance, or capability of a low-end prosthetic very restrictive.  Therefore, while a $160 resin prosthetic from China may be financially accessible, research has shown that the likelihood for a patient to abandon use of a prosthetic increases dramatically if the device is unwieldy, uncomfortable, or even unattractive (Espinosa, Roberts 2019). 

Apart from the quantitative and demonstrable need for improved access to affordable and capable prosthetics and expansion of the field of biomedical engineering in Mongolia; there is also an opportunity to improve awarness and acceptance of physical disability and the issue of accessibility in Mongolian culture as a whole. Luckily, there are several well-respected and rapidly-growing universities in Mongolia and several organizations, such as the Oddariya Foundation, who are attempting to increase domestic interest in the fields of modern medicine and biomedical engineering through projects, workshops, and educational outreach. Mongolia has an extremely vibrant democractic government and the advantage of citizens who are invested and active in shaping the direction of Mongolia’s future. The unique optimism and geopolitical position of Mongolia as an island of democracy in Central Asia have provided the backdrop for unprecedented growth and development in the last four decades. While that development and socioeconomic growth has been extremely impressive, there is still space for the parallel development of social acceptance and understanding of ability and the creation of more opportunities for differently-abled individuals to contribute to society and have thier own impact on Mongolia and the world as a whole.