Jaipur  Foot - The Epitome of Frugal :

The Jaipur Foot, also known as the Jaipur Leg, is a rubber-based prosthetic leg for people with below-knee amputations. It is inexpensive and widely acceptable as a prosthesis, and as a result has been widely used in India. Ram Chandra Sharma designed and developed it in 1968.

Overview :

Designed in and named after Jaipur, India, the prosthetic leg was designed to be inexpensive, water-resistant, and quick to fit and manufacture. The Jaipur Foot is made of polyurethane, which at the time was the newest material used in the production of the prostheses. This material increases the durability and the convenience of use. The government of India supports Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahyata Samiti with financial aid to carry out the work done by the organization. The Jaipur Foot has helped many people overcome their leg disability.

The idea of the Jaipur Foot was conceived by Ram Chander Sharma under the guidance of Dr. P.K. Sethi, who was then the head of the Department of Orthopedics at Sawai Man Singh Medical College in Jaipur, India.

It is fitted free of cost by Bhagwan Mahavir Viklang Sahyata Samiti, founded by Devendra Raj Mehta. It costs approximately $45 to make.

Advantages :

The Jaipur Foot is superior to its SACH (Solid Ankle Cushion Heel) counterpart in certain ways, mainly in the range of movements it offers. The articulation at the 'ankle' allows not only inversion-eversion movements but also dorsiflexion (essential for squatting, standing up from prone position, etc.) and a shorter keel helps achieve this. The materials used at the foot-end are waterproof and moderately mimic a real foot.

These features help a physically-challenged person assimilate more easily in a semi-urban or rural setup in the Indian subcontinent and other developing countries.

Sudha Chandran, an Indian actress and dancer, lost her limb in an accident in 1982. She was fitted with the Jaipur Foot and started dancing once again; her journey is the theme of the Telugu 1984 film Mayuri (Peahen), re-made into a 1986 Hindi film, Naache Mayuri (Peahen Dancing). Both the films starred Sudha as the lead.

Awards :

P. K. Sethi was awarded the Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1981, and the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 1981. Dr. D R Mehta received the Rajasthan Ratna for his contribution to Jaipur Foot in 2013 by Rajasthan Government.

Technology :

The Jaipur Foot was developed at the SMS Medical College Hospital, Jaipur, in 1968, by a group of eminent orthopaedic surgeons and a highly innovative craftsman.

The first scientific publication on the Jaipur Foot was by Dr PK Sethi, director and professor of rehabilitation, SMS Medical College, Jaipur; Dr SC Kasliwal; Dr MP Udawat; and master Ram Chandra.

Although the design was developed to meet the socio-cultural needs of handicapped people in India — with their unique needs for a prosthetic that would permit them to squat, sit cross-legged, walk on uneven terrain, work in wet muddy fields, walk without shoes, and so on — it has proved to be a 'universal design' and can interface with prosthetic technology used around the globe.

The Jaipur Foot distinguishes itself from other artificial feet by not having a central keel, thus permitting mobility in all planes despite being non-articulated. The dorsiflexion at the ankle, a special feature of the foot, addresses the cultural and lifestyle needs of Oriental people; however, this positively influences the performance of amputees even in Western societies.

A biomechanical comparison of the Jaipur Foot with the SACH and Seattle Foot was undertaken at the Royal Liverpool Hospital, UK, by Prof Klenerman. The results showed that the performance of the Jaipur Foot was more natural and closer to the movements of the normal human foot as compared to the SACH and Seattle Foot.

Owing to its performance, it has transcended geographical boundaries and is being used by handicapped people in over 40 countries around the world. It is the most widely used prosthetic foot in the world.

The impact of the Jaipur Foot was pertinently described in Time magazine (fall 1997 issue) thus: "People who live inside the world's many war zones from Afganistan to Rwanda may never have heard of New York or Paris but they are likely to know a town in Northern India called Jaipur. Jaipur is famous in strife-torn areas as the birthplace of an extraordinary artificial limb known as the Jaipur Foot that has revolutionized life for millions of landmine amputees."

About Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS)  :

It was set up in 1975 in Jaipur to commemorate the 2500th year of nirvana of Bhagwan Mahaveer, the great Lord of Jainism who preached non-violence & equality of all beings and compassion to all. He was a contemporary of Lord Buddha.

BMVSS is a secular, non-religious, non-governmental, non-political, non-sectarian, non-regional and not for profit charitable organisation set up to help the physically challenged, particularly the financially weak and underprivileged.

The society was born out of a traumatic incident in the life of DR Mehta, the Founder and Chief Patron of BMVSS. He met with a life-threatening road accident that crushed one of his legs. Doctors felt that it might have to be amputated. Both his life and limb were saved. This made Mehta realise the problems that disabled have to face, particularly the underprivileged, to get artificial limbs. The idea of creating BMVSS, the Jaipur Foot organisation, was thus born out of a trauma on the hospital bed which Mehta occupied for five months. He finally set up BMVSS to provide artificial limbs, in 1975, with a focus on the rehabilitation poor.

From its birth in Jaipur, BMVSS has grown to become a pan-India and international organisation. It has 23 branches across India. The organisation has two associate centres in Pakistan and three in Philippines, and a joint venture in Colombia. It has conducted more than 50 fitment camps in 26 countries and helped set up independent prosthetic fitment centres in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

BMVSS has been given Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations Organisation for its services.