JAIPUR, India, Jan. 9 India's Dr. P.K. Sethi, inventor of the "Jaipur Foot" which has helped millions of poor amputees to walk, died in the city bearing the prosthesis' name.
Sethi, who was 80, died Sunday of cardiac arrest in Jaipur, India, The New York Times reported, quoting the family.
The affordable "Jaipur Foot," which was never patented, is now available in more than 25 countries, helping amputees, especially land-mine victims, lead more normal lives.
Sethi's invention, which costs about $30 and lasts more than five years, is affordable because it can be made by traditional craftsmen, the report said. It is flexible, allowing the wearer to run, climb trees, pedal bicycles and even perform tasks like sitting and praying on the floor.
Son of a university physics professor, Sethi received his medical education in India and Britain. He taught surgery at the Sawai Man Singh Medical College and Hospital in Jaipur.
The report said he became an orthopedic surgeon by chance after his college was told to start a department of orthopedics as part of an inspection requirement.
In the "Jaipur Foot" project, he was helped by Ramachandra Sharma, a semi-literate craftsman who used to teach lepers to make handicrafts, the report said.
Sethi is survived by his wife, one son and three daughters.
Copyright 2008 by UPI
