Country Profiles

Kuwait Orthotics & Prosthetics - where prevention and follow-up are now as important as device supply

Kuwait’s orthotics, prosthetics, and rehabilitation ecosystem sits within a comparatively well-resourced healthcare environment, but demand is intensifying due to very high diabetes prevalence, an ongoing stroke disability burden, and increasing need for long-term mobility support. The country’s biggest opportunity mirrors many “system strengthening” stories across IMEA: not only providing devices, but optimising the full pathway—referral, assessment, fabrication/fitting, physiotherapy, and repairs—so outcomes remain consistent beyond the initial intervention.

Prevalence & demand drivers (key statistics)

Diabetes

Kuwait is among the highest-prevalence diabetes countries globally. IDF estimates for 2024:

  • 25.6% diabetes prevalence (adults 20–79)
  • ~908,500 adults living with diabetes

This directly drives demand for diabetic foot orthoses/offloading, protective footwear, Charcot management, and structured amputation prevention.

Stroke

Stroke remains a meaningful contributor to mortality and disability, translating into sustained need for AFOs/KAFOs, upper-limb supports, mobility aids, and neurorehabilitation. A regional analysis reports:

  • Stroke death rate in Kuwait (2021): 16.53 per 100,000

Persons with disabilities (registered)

Kuwait’s Public Authority for Persons with Disabilities reports (updated 03/02/2026):

  • Total registered: 68,925 (with category breakdowns such as intellectual, motor, physical, hearing, visual, etc.)

(This is a registry count, not a population prevalence estimate.)

Amputations (diabetes-linked pressure)

Kuwait’s Ministry of Health has highlighted prevention progress and notes that it has established specialised diabetic foot centres in all hospitals, aiming to reduce lower-limb amputations among people with diabetes.

Kuwait O&P system snapshot

Kuwait’s model is best described as public-sector access routes plus specialised NCD centres, supported by a growing private rehabilitation market:

  • A clear government access pathway for orthotics and prosthetics through Ministry of Health services
  • Expanded national emphasis on diabetic foot prevention through dedicated centres across hospitals
  • Specialist diabetes services and multidisciplinary foot care through Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI), including podiatry and prevention programs

Top orthotic & prosthetic service providers in Kuwait

A practical list of visible anchors shaping delivery today:

1) Ministry of Health (MOH) – Prosthetics & Assistive Devices Clinic (eGov service)

The government portal outlines access to orthotics/prosthetics devices for conditions including limb loss, flat foot, polio cases, and more.

2) Public Authority for Persons with Disabilities (PADA) – Prosthetic devices pathway

PADA provides a structured route for prosthetic devices for eligible persons with disabilities.

3) Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI) – Podiatry / Diabetic Foot Care

A national centre of excellence in diabetes prevention and management, with specialist podiatry services that support ulcer prevention and limb preservation.

4) Advance Care Prosthetics & Orthotics Center (private sector)

A private provider highlighted for customised prosthetic and orthotic solutions and mobility-related devices.

5) MotionPro (private sector; foot correction & orthotics-oriented services)

A Kuwait-based centre positioned around foot correction and mobility enhancement—relevant to the orthotics/foot health segment.


Key challenges

  • Extremely high diabetes prevalence increases long-term demand for diabetic foot protection and amputation prevention services
  • Follow-up and repairs become a system bottleneck as the device user population grows (especially for chronic conditions)
  • Need to sustain consistent outcomes across public and private pathways while scaling capacity nationwide

Growth opportunities (what comes next)

  • National diabetic foot pathway optimisation: screening → risk stratification → footwear/orthoses/offloading → rapid referral (highest ROI given prevalence)
  • Post-stroke orthotic access: earlier AFO provision and standardised follow-up within rehab teams, aligned to stroke burden
  • Structured repair & maintenance programs to reduce downtime and extend device life
  • Digital workflow adoption (scan → design → fabricate) to improve turnaround, consistency, and documentation—especially for high-volume orthoses

IMEA CPO outlook

Kuwait is a high-capacity healthcare market where the main strategic focus is shifting from “can we provide devices?” to “can we deliver prevention + continuity + outcomes at scale?” With diabetes at 25.6% adult prevalence and a substantial disability registry, the biggest wins will come from expanding standardised diabetic foot services, strengthening follow-up/repair pathways, and integrating orthotics earlier into stroke rehabilitation.

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