Gov’t allocates $6.2m to two suppliers in ‘New Limb, New Life’ initiative
THE GOVERNMENT has allocated funds totalling $6,261,400 to two suppliers participating in the ‘New Limb, New Life’ initiative, which is geared towards providing support for physically disabled Jamaicans requiring limbs.
Cheques i n that sum were presented to Surgix Jamaica Limited and Tutu Prosthetics, which will provide prostheses for the first set of beneficiaries. The Ministry of Health and Wellness contributed $5,941,400 of the provision.
The presentations were made during a handover ceremony at the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre in St. Andrew on Tuesday, February 13.
Speaking during the ceremony, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said the promotion of healthy lifestyles is a pivotal component of the initiative.
He said that 80 per cent of amputations i n Jamaica are linked to diabetes, noting that this highlights the urgent need for preventative care and rehabilitative interventions.
“Everyone who we restore, we hope that they become an ambassador for a very important cause [to encourage others not to] play around with your lifestyle,” he stated.
Dr Tufton said the initiative is not only providing prosthetic devices, but facilitating the restoration of lost mobility and improving the quality of beneficiaries’ lives.
The ministry has allocated $50 million for the programme, which is administered through the Compassionate Fund Programme, from which resources are allocated to eligible amputees who have lost limbs because of diabetes, arterial disease, trauma, and cancer, with grants of up to $500,000 per person.
To date, t he ministry has approved 16 applications, and is processing another 44.
The New Limb, New Life Programme is a joint initiative with the Jamaica Council of Persons with Disabilities (JCPD), an agency of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.
Portfolio Minister Pearnel Charles Jr said the ministry “will continue to play a pivotal role in ensuring that an environment is created for [the] empowerment of every Jamaican to know that they can overcome challenges that are associated with limb loss, and be reintegrated into our society.”