The Hindu
Sunny Sebastian
More Sri Lankan amputees to get the Foot at a month-long camp in the town
From next month Sri Lanka will have its second rehabilitation camp to fit its amputees with the world’s best and cheapest artificial limb, the famous Jaipur Foot. India’s Ministry of External Affairs is supporting the camp in Jaffna to be organised by the Jaipur-based Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayta Samiti (BMVSS) from September 1 to 30 to help those who lost their limbs during the internal strife in that island nation.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday flagged off a team of 20 technicians led by A. B. Sharma for Sri Lanka to hold the month-long camp, second of its kind to be organised in Sri Lanka by BMVSS. The Samiti had organized a similar camp last year at Vavuniya in Sri Lanka to fit 1,240 persons with artificial limbs. The beneficiaries of the first camp by now are virtually on their legs, regaining mobility, dignity and, in many cases, sustenance.
The flag-off function at the Chief Minister’s residence was attended by the founder and chairman of the BMVSS, D. R. Mehta. A former chairman of SEBI, Mr. Mehta informed Mr. Gehlot that the second camp is being organised in Jaffna as a goodwill gesture by the Government of India after the Sri Lankan Government lauded the efforts at the Vavuniya camp.
The BMVSS has so far conducted similar camps in almost two dozen countries — Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Nigeria, Nepal, Kenya, Panama, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Somalia, Trinidad & Tobago, Vietnam, Sudan, Lebanon, Zambia, Pakistan, Iraq, Senegal and Fiji. In all, about 20,000 people in these countries have been fitted with Jaipur Foot or Jaipur Knee. So far over 1.2 million people have been provided with artificial limbs and calipers by the BMVSS.
Wishing the team success Mr. Gehlot said the Jaffna camp would go a long way in generating goodwill between India and Sri Lanka, two countries which are culturally and historically linked with each other for thousands of years.
The BMVSS is the world’s largest organisation providing support to the physically challenged persons. A few members of the technical team going to Jaffna themselves were physically challenged persons. They were rehabilitated by the BMVSS and provided with jobs. Today they are highly skilled technicians.
On the occasion, Mr. Gehlot was introduced to Jaipur Knee, another breakthrough product in the field of rehabilitation of the physically impaired.
He evinced special interest in the Jaipur Knee, an artificial limb developed by the prestigious Stanford University of the US in collaboration with BMVSS.
“The Jaipur Knee, named by the Stanford University, was rated as one of the world’s 50 best innovations by the prestigious Time magazine of the US.
This limb costs $ 20, while a similar limb in the US costs $ 10,000,” informed Mr. Mehta. The Jaipur Knee has been fitted to more than 3,000 physically challenged people.
(The views expressed above are the personal views of the author)
