Prosthetic foot centre set up in Trinidad; Jaishankar terms it gift of mobility

A permanent centre to provide artificial limbs to below knee amputees was inaugurated in Trinidad and Tobago, a move that could transform the lives of differently-abled persons in the Caribbean region.

The Jaipur Foot Prosthetics Centre, set up by non-profit organisation Jaipur Foot USA, was inaugurated by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar during his visit to the Caribbean nation on May 9 in the presence of Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamala Persad-Bissessar.

Mr. Jaishankar termed the centre as a “gift of mobility and dignity” for Trinidad and Tobago and the wider Caricom region that comprises over 15 island nations.

The Jaipur Foot USA, a supporting organisation of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), will supply 600 artificial limbs to support the centre that has been established at Penal, a town in south Trinidad.

The U.S. non-profit has also deployed a highly-skilled prosthetics expert from Jaipur at the Trinidad centre to train local technicians.

The establishment of a permanent centre in the Caribbean nation comes after the success of a 50-day Jaipur foot camp organised in Port of Spain in October last year that benefited more than 800 persons.

“This permanent centre will not only restore mobility, but also dignity and hope to differently abled individuals across the Caribbean region” Prem Bhandari, Chairman of Jaipur Foot USA, said in a statement.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to Trinidad and Tobago in July last year, had announced the prosthetic limb fitment camp in the island nation.

Mr. Bhandari said the permanent centre has been set up within eight months of the Jaipur foot camp.

One of the best examples of Indian ingenuity and barefoot engineering, the Jaipur Foot has helped several thousands of victims of landmine blasts and accidents across the world to walk again, he said.