In an initiative that came under appreciation, the All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Mysuru, partnered with Bank of Baroda, to distribute hearing aids to young children with hearing impairment at an affordable cost.
Nearly 40 digital hearing aids, each costing about ₹54,000 were distributed for ₹4,000 each to needy children, said AIISH Director Pushpavathi, at a programme organised in the campus here on Thursday where the aids were distributed.
Digital hearing aids were distributed to children belonging to BPL families. Mayor Shivakumar was the chief guest.
The initiative aims to raise awareness about hearing health and the importance of early intervention.
“By providing hearing devices along with therapy, we are not just restoring their hearing but also restoring their ability to communicate, connect with others, and participate fully in society,” a press release from AIISH said.
The generous support ensures easier mobility, symbolising a shared commitment to inclusivity, it added.
While extending its gratitude to Bank of Baroda for its contribution, the AIISH director said it’s first time that such high-quality hearing aids were distributed to needy children under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model at an affordable cost. The initiative also got support under the Centre’s client welfare scheme.
It’s a new initiative of the AIISH, which has taken up the task of early identification of communication disorders in new-born babies.
The All India Institute of Speech and Hearing has taken up a campaign of spreading awareness among the parents with regard to early identification and intervention in babies at risk of developing communication disorders.
The data available at the country’s premier institute in the field of speech and hearing here shows that about seven per cent of babies are at risk of developing communication disorders based on the screening tests done earlier in hospitals during the neonatal period.
If the newborn is identified with hearing loss, the rehabilitation should happen within three months as early intervention helps in developing normal speech in such infants. Therefore, audiologists and speech language pathologists from the AIISH visit various hospitals in and around Mysuru to provide free screening for communication disorders. Also, the AIISH has set up several outreach service centres and its services are available at several places across the country even in rural areas, according to the institute.
