‘Jaipur Foot’, the prosthesis that has helped thousands of disabled worldwide to walk again, is set to be launched from Colombia - its first centre on foreign soil.The Colombian government has sanctioned the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), producers of the artificial limb, to set up base in the South American country. The BMVSS has entered into a tie-up with a Colombia-based NGO.
M.K. Mathur of BMVSS told IANS: “The Jaipur Foot centre in Colombia is slated to start in August.”
According to him, experts would go to Colombia with the required machinery. Initially three-fourths of the artificial foot would be made in Jaipur and the rest in Colombia. The entire production would shift to Colombia after a few months. It was Jaipur resident Ram Charan Sharma, who hails from a family of sculptors, who conceived Jaipur Foot in 1968. It was only after trials and with the assistance of eminent orthopaedic surgeon P.K. Sethi that the prosthetic limb was launched that year. The amazing lightness and mobility of the artificial limb, coupled with its low price, is the reason for its popularity. Those who wear it can run, climb trees, pedal bicycles and drive a car - all without the aid of a stick or any support. While a prosthetic limb can cost several thousand dollars in the US, the Jaipur Foot costs only $20-28 in India.
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