With 353 cochlear implant surgeries in 2023-24, Karnataka stands first in the country in this area, said Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao.
Speaking after renaming the cochlear implant scheme as ‘Shravana Sanjeevani’ at AIISH in Mysuru on Tuesday, he said no other State in the country has done so many surgeries in one year.
The surgeries were done in 12 government hospitals, and 15 private hospitals. The highest number of surgeries took place in seven hospitals, the Minister said. “Not all kids need cochlear implants. Children with severe hearing loss and if tests confirm their need for an implant, then children who are below six years undergo surgery.”
The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness (NPPCD) has come as major support for the families who cannot afford the surgery cost.
Sowmya Bhat of Hosanagara in Shivamogga, who shared her experience at the event, said her daughter is now able to listen and speak after the cochlear implant. She thanked the AIISH for the therapy classes and pre-school support.
She suggested that families should make use of the schemes like NPPCD and get the hearing problems in their children resolved.
On the occasion, children with cochlear implants cut a cake with the Minister and MLAs, after receiving the hearing aids and renaming of the scheme.
