‘Jaipur Foot’ offers low-price boost for India’s amputees

JAIPUR, India — Vishnu Kumar had barely reached adulthood when he lost his limbs in a freak electrical accident, seemingly condemning him to the life of penury endured by millions of amputees in India.

A year later, the 22-year-old is preparing to walk again with the aide of a “Jaipur Foot” — a no-frills prosthetic made locally.

These prosthetics allow amputees to work in muddy fields, sit cross-legged on the floor and comfortably use Indian-style squat toilets without needing to remove the limb.

The manufacturers can churn out 50 prosthesis a day from a simple workshop in Rajasthan and, thanks to donations, fit them for free.

An estimated 10 million Indians live with some form of movement impairment according to government figures. It is common to see amputees begging at traffic stops or dragging themselves about on wheeled carts.

Kumar, who worked as an electrician, feared he would endure a similar fate after his limbs were blown off in a catastrophic accident involving a high-tension wire.

Just a fraction of those maimed in accidents have access to artificial limbs or other aids.

“I was devastated thinking I will have to spend the rest of my life on crutches,” said Kumar, fighting back tears as he waited for a fitting at Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti, the charity behind the unique design.

“These limbs have given me new hope.”

Prostheses cost thousands of dollars and take weeks to manufacture in many parts of the world, but for 50 years the creators of the “Jaipur Foot” have been making dozens of limbs a day for roughly $60 apiece.

“The technology we use is such that the limb can be made very, very quickly,” said Devendra Raj Mehta, the 80-year-old founder of charity behind the “Jaipur Foot”.

Made from durable plastic piping the limb — available for above and below knee amputees — requires little maintenance and can be fitted in hours.

Wearers can leave the clinic able to run, swim, climb trees and ride a bicycle, Mehta said.

Created in collaboration with Stanford University in the United States, the artificial knee is considered so cost effective it was named one of 50 best inventions in the world by Time magazine.

The advent of 3-D printing has opened new possibilities, too.

The charity has teamed up with a 24-year-old Indian engineer Prashant Gade to print inexpensive artificial hands using the revolutionary printing technology he was gifted at an MIT conference.

Funding remains a constant challenge, but Mehta was confident his thrifty operation would continue to reach those in desperate need.

“I strongly believe that even if 1 percent of people in this country or in the world are compassionate, we shall survive.”

I strongly believe that even if 1 percent of people in this country or in the world are compassionate, we shall survive.”

Devendra Raj Mehta,