Jaipur : Four Japanese handicapped persons – three of them women, who flew in to the Pink City were equipped with artificial limbs at the world’s largest organisation for the handicapped – the Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS) here on Monday. These Japanese were able to walk minutes after they were fitted with the artificial limbs, namely the Jaipur Foot and Jaipur Knee.
The Japanese amputees were inspired to come to the Pink City after they were told about the utility and genuineness of the artificial limb by a Japanese researcher Ken Endo, who is working as a research associate with Japanese multinational Sony in Tokyo. Endo has obtained his PhD from Massachusetts Institute of technology (MIT), which has a working collaboration with BMVSS and are working on developing a prosthesis. Endo has been working with the MIT on this prosthesis project. Endo has been trying to popularise the prosthesis developed by MIT and BMVSS and MIT in Japan.
After being told by Endo about the cheap and highly efficient product, three women – Saki Tabakua, 20 a student, Fumiko Takado, 38, a company executive, Hitomi Onishi, 35, a social worker and the male Janpei Noda, 34, a company worker decided to get the Jaipur Foot and Jaipur Knee fitment done.
Endo said, the Japanese handicapped persons were surprised when they were provided with the artificial limbs in a few hours as the process in Japan takes about a month to complete.
He said a similar prosthesis in Japan would cost Rs six lakh, while the Jaipur prosthesis costs Rs 22,000 only. Endo was surprised to know that the prosthesis is given free of cost to poor patients.
Noda, who is handicapped and had undergone surgery of the hip would stay in Jaipur for a few days before a custom made prosthesis fulfilling his special needs could be made.
The technicians at the BMVSS are hopeful of providing a solution to Noda’s needs in a few days.
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