Tamil Nadu man seeks help to maintain prosthetic leg as CM's insurance does not cover it
THOOTHUKUDI: G Princeton was 21 when he suffered a bullet injury in his right leg when police opened fire at anti-Sterlite protesters on May 22, 2018. The leg was amputated to save his life and he was fitted with a prosthetic leg. Seven years on, he is struggling to keep the leg in shape.
Recalling the mayhem that broke loose on that fateful day, he said, 'I was standing in front of the government polytechnic institute on Palayamkottai road watching the protest rally when police started to open fire. I was shot in the leg,' he said.
He was admitted in the Thoothukudi Medical College Hospital and the leg was amputated the same day.
In October, the state government provided him a prosthetic leg having hydraulic knee joint made by a German firm based in Tiruchy.
Speaking to TNIE, Princeton said the prosthetic leg cost Rs 7.5 lakh. 'The device is sophisticated and the maintenance cost is high. The government had borne the maintenance cost of Rs 1.2 lakh and Rs 80,000 in 2020 and 2022 respectively after pressure from several people,' he said.
'Until 2020, I was using a prosthetic silicone liner. Since it is costly and not durable, we replaced it with a vacuum socket. But the thigh muscle has started shrinking because of which the vacuum socket does not fit properly. Since the vacuum socket gets loosened, I lose stability and fall down often, resulting in injuries,' he said, adding the foot shell has also worn out.
The service centre said it would cost Rs 93,555 to bring the leg back in shape. 'The state had promised to inquire about the maintenance cost, however, the district's differently-abled welfare department is turning me away,' he alleged.
'I gave the petition for maintenance three months ago, but there is no response', he said. When contacted, differently-abled welfare officer Bhramanayagam said the CM's comprehensive health insurance scheme does not cover maintenance cost of prosthetic limbs. 'A new basic model of prosthetic leg can be procured,' he added.
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