The Ministry of Home Affairs signed a memorandum of understanding last Friday with Tapion Hospital and Rotary Caribbean Plus to open an artificial limb centre in Saint Lucia.
The centre aims to make prosthetic limbs more accessible and affordable for individuals with disabilities after concerns about limited availability and high costs.
To be located within the Tapion Hospital, it will serve the more than 400 residents who currently require prosthetics, offering not only feet but also hands, fingers and other limb parts.
During pre-cabinet on Tuesday, the Minister for Home Affairs and Persons with Disabilities, Jeremiah Norbert, said training and local expertise will play a key role in the programme. He noted that the country already has people who have some experience in building and fitting prosthetic limbs who will be further trained by international experts.
“We have experts coming down from Virginia who are going to train them. They are going to be certified and they will be in a position to provide even a better service for individuals here who require prosthetic limbs.”
Addressing the high costs often associated with prosthetics, Norbert assured that affordability will remain central to the centre’s mission. “The emphasis and focus is not really on the cost… we are going to make it affordable to all individuals in this country.”
He noted that below-knee prosthetics typically range between $6,000 to $10,000, while above-knee devices can exceed $10,000 to $12,000.
Norbert, who uses a prosthetic limb, emphasised the broader impact of mobility and independence. “The whole idea is to reinstate that level of economic independence, physical independence, your mobility [and to]…move about without having to be dignified or somebody having to carry you.”
The centre is expected to begin operations next year, offering residents not only essential prosthetic devices but also comprehensive support for physical and psychosocial rehabilitation.
