Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago Kamla Persad-Bissessar lauded India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for bringing the Jaipur Foot initiative to her country.
Speaking at the inauguration of the 50-day artificial limb fitment camp at the Diplomatic Centre in Port of Spain on October 3, she described the effort as a “gift of humanity.”
"Just three months later, that promise has taken foot in TT with containers of lightweight limbs shipped from Jaipur, India, guided by High Commissioner (Pradeep Singh) Rajpurohit, partnered with several volunteer groups, our ministries of Social Development and Health and the renowned Jaipur Foot Organisation to make Prime Minister Modi's vision a reality," Kamla Persad-Bissessar said, according to an ANI report.
"With one in six adults living with diabetes in TT, the second-highest rate in the Americas, too often, a small foot wound spirals into the loss of a limb. The economic toll is severe, as a single amputation can reduce a household's income by 20-40 per cent, while a prosthetic limb costs $15,000-$40,000, far beyond the reach of most families," she added.
More than 800 people will benefit from the camp, where prosthetics are provided free of cost. Persad-Bissessar said the project reflected a new form of diplomacy rooted in compassion, beyond trade and treaties. She expressed gratitude to the Indian government, High Commissioner Pradeep Singh Rajpurohit, and the Jaipur Foot Organisation.
Persad-Bissessar announced that a permanent Jaipur Foot centre will soon be set up in Trinidad and Tobago, extending its benefits to the wider Caricom community.