Limb camp restores mobility to thousands

The 15th edition of the Mega Jaipur Foot Limb Camp is being held in Shivajinagar, Bangalore through Thursday.

By Uzmi Athar

BANGALORE (Jan. 10)—An annual camp where attendees are fitted with prosthetic limbs for free has treated 1,800 people so far this year, its 15th edition.

The Mega Jaipur Foot Limb Camp is organized by Rotary Bangalore Peenya.

Around 100 patients from across South India have been living in the open space provided by the camp in Shivajinagar.

“Government hospitals take around one year to provide us with the artificial limbs, while this place gives them to us in an hour,” said Shrishail Biredar, a call center employee. “We don’t care about the conditions as long as we are getting our artificial limbs fast.”

“This place is a boon for the poor patients and gives a new hope to them,” said Dr. Yathiraj, the camp’s physiotherapist. “We also counsel the patients and tell them how they can get a new lease of life from these camps.”

The camp, named after the capital of Rajasthan, where a doctor came up with the idea of distributing free prosthetics, has treated more than 27,000 patients since its inception. This year’s edition concludes Thursday.