The Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to implement the ‘New Limb, New Life’ initiative to assist members of Jamaica’s disabled community.

The J$50 million initiative, first mentioned by Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton during his 2023-2024 Sectoral Debate presentation, aims to support Jamaicans who have lost a limb with a subsidy to replace their limbs with prosthetics.

“We have to show compassion to those who require and deserve a second chance, and our compassionate posture as a government around the community with persons living with disabilities is something that we want to demonstrate because we think it is worthy of that level of effort,” said Tufton.

The health minister was speaking at the signing of the agreement today (August 16) at a post-Cabinet press briefing.

Tufton shared that the initiative is important to the Health Ministry, given that close to 90 per cent of people have lost their limbs due to medical conditions such as diabetes and other lifestyle diseases.

He said the initiative will help participants to reintegrate into society, tackle mental health issues associated with losing a limb and become more economically viable.

Additionally, the minister said he hopes it will highlight the consequences of lifestyle diseases and encourage citizens to a more health-seeking posture among the population.

REQUIREMENTS

The project will be run by the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) under the Ministry of Labour, which will select candidates based on their internal database.

Applicants must be between the ages of 13 and 60, registered with the (JCPD), and have lost a limb because of diabetes. Additionally, they must be assessed by the Sir John Golding Rehabilitation Centre or a qualified orthopedic surgeon to determine if they are a suitable candidate for a prosthetic limb, and willing to participate in the Ministry of Health’s education programme.

The ‘New Limb, New Life’ initiative is supported by the Government’s Compassionate Care Programme.