Devendra Raj Mehta is the Founder & Chief Patron of Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), the parent body for the Jaipur Foot/Limb organization. BMVSS was established as an NGO in 1975 with a singular mission to rehabilitate the disabled from all walks of life. Shri Mehta believed that the disabled can and should become a part of mainstream India. To accomplish this, he created innovative and affordable solutions for reestablishing the mobility of the disabled and restoring their dignity. A philanthropic missionary with a compelling vision.
Through BMVSS, Shri Mehta has created an alternative patient centric healthcare model. This organization has two stringent policies. The first is an open door policy that enables any disabled Indian citizen to avail of the services and solutions provided by BMVSS at no cost to the patient. The second policy is that the patient must remain in the care of BMVSS at no cost until the required artificial limb, caliper or other rehabilitation aid is provided. The Jaipur Foot/Limb technology allows fitting of the artificial limb in one to three days. A benchmark practice.
Shri Mehta has faith in the power of Quality and Technology. The Jaipur Foot/Limb was originally developed in 1968 by SMS Medical College, Jaipur. All subsequent developments have been made under the aegis of BMVSS. Noteworthy amongst these developments are: replacement of aluminium with polymers in sockets; design changes in Jaipur Foot; use of total contact socket; improvements in quality of materials. In addition, by introducing industrial management principles, BMVSS can fit almost one hundred artificial limbs per day at the Jaipur centers plus twenty one branches. In 2012, BMVSS provided twenty-four thousand artificial limbs. An unmatched global benchmark.
The Jaipur Foot/Limb is world renowned. BMVSS has held fifty on-the-spot artificial limb fitment camps in twenty-six countries. This has earned India enormous goodwill. We salute Shri Devendra Raj Mehta for firmly placing the Jaipur Foot/Limb on the global healthcare map. His tireless crusade has revolutionized the lives of over 1.35 million amputees in the peaceful and war-torn zones of the world.
We are honored to present the Qimpro Medal 2013 for Extraordinary Life-Time Achievements in Healthcare to Shri Devendra Raj Mehta.