More Jamaican children seeking prosthetic limbs as violence and medical conditions take toll

As Child Month draws to a close, a Mona-based medical aid provider is warning that more Jamaican children are needing prosthetic limbs, with some cases connected to gun violence and others to birth defects or accidents.

Winfield Coburn, chief executive officer of Surgix Jamaica Limited, said the company has recorded about a 20 per cent yearly increase in children seeking prosthetics. He described the trend as troubling, particularly because more young people are losing limbs in firearm-related violence.

One patient, one-year-old Dashana Higgins, was born with a deformity that her mother said was not detected during ultrasound checks in pregnancy. Her mother said Dashana had webbed fingers involving the thumb, index and middle fingers, while the toes on her right foot are also webbed. Doctors, she said, advised that surgery on the toes was not possible because of the sensitivity of the area.

Despite the condition, her mother said the child crawls, pulls herself up, stands on one leg and sometimes hops. Dashana later underwent surgery after a bone began protruding from the affected leg, with the stump reshaped so she could be assessed for a prosthetic limb. The family is awaiting a suitable match before she begins adjusting to the device.

Sixteen-year-old Joshua Rowe is also being fitted for a new prosthesis. His leg was amputated in 2020 after what was described as a freak accident involving a reversing vehicle, with his older brother behind the wheel. He spent two weeks at Mandeville Regional Hospital in Manchester before being moved to Bustamante Hospital for Children in St. Andrew, where he remained for several months.

Joshua recalled doctors telling him the leg could no longer be saved and that amputation was needed to prevent a potentially fatal infection. He later contracted COVID-19, but his family said he stayed resilient. His mother, who travelled from St. Elizabeth for the fitting, remembered him saying, "Mommy, so long as me have life, me good."

Mr. Bogle, who works with prosthetic patients, said children often adjust more quickly than adults. He said newer technology is easier for young patients to use, including systems that can be managed through a phone or iPad.

Coburn said many families seeking prosthetics come from poorer backgrounds, so the company tries to keep devices more affordable. A prosthetic leg costs about $300,000 on average, and some health insurance plans still do not cover that expense. He said talks are under way with insurers to widen coverage, including for limb loss linked to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes.