VISAKHAPATNAM: For the first time in the coastal Andhra Pradesh, Sagara Durga ENT Care, a unit of Sagara Durga Hospital in the city will undertake cochlear implant surgery programmes for children who are with more than 80 per cent hearing loss due to problems in the outer, middle and inner ear (cochlea area).

The surgery, which would cost of about Rs.6 lakh per child, will be very effective if it is done for hearing impaired children below three years. Children of 3-5 years could also undergo the surgery that would last two to three hours. Noted cochlear implant surgeon and founder of Madras ENT Research Foundation (P) Ltd Dr. Mohan Kameswaran will perform the surgeries in Visakhapatnam.

Therapy

RK Children's Hospital in the city will have a tie up with Sagara Durga ENT care to undertake these surgeries.

The surgery cost includes charges for speech and language therapy that have to be given to the operated child for a minimum of one year.

Briefing media persons about the surgery, M.V.V.S. Bapa Rao of Sagara Durga ENT Care, said after Hyderabad only Visakhapatnam would have facilities for such surgery.

Electronic device

The Australian made cochlear implant is an electronic device that produced useful hearing sensations to a person with severe to profound sensory deafness by electrically stimulating nerves inside the inner ear.

A deaf mute child could hear and speak normally by undergoing the surgery and the device once implanted will work lifelong.

Dr. Rao said about five to six per cent of children in India are born with hearing problems and 2-3 per cent of them have total deafness. Dr. Mohan Kameswaran has already performed over 200 such surgeries so far, he said.

Monetary relief

Director of RK Children's Hospital K. Radhakrishna said for children belonging to poor families monetary relief from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund could be obtained by properly enclosing the documents for the surgery.

His hospital along with Sagar Durga would hold a free screening camp for children below 10 years with hearing problems on Saturday.

Dr. Kameswaran would also present a lecture on "cochlear implant-the current concepts" for the benefit of parents.

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