Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad   

Hearing aids for children distributed

— Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

Catching every word: Former Indian cricketer Syed Kirmani implanting a digital hearing aid to a child in Hyderabad as eminent ENT surgeon T. V. Krishna Rao looks on.

HYDERABAD: Differently-abled children from city-based Ashray Akruti on Friday were the lucky ones to get fitted with a hi-tech digital hearing aid, which promises to help them lead normal lives. The children, aged between four to six years, hoped that the hearing aids would help them realise their dreams of joining a normal school for education.

The hearing aids, each costing Rs. 50,000, were distributed for free of cost to 11 children of Ashray Akruti School by noted digital hearing equipment manufacturer, Widex.

The parents who accompanied the children said that the hearing aids will ease the speech training process and their wards can start leading normal lives quickly.

“There is stigma attached to hearing impaired. The digital hearing aids are small in size and are invisible and this will help reduce shyness. But my son has to undergo speech training for another six months to one year before joining a normal school,” says Madhavi, whose four-year-old son Rohit received a hearing aid.

Noted ENT specialist Dr. T. V. Krishna Rao said that 15 per cent of schoolchildren have hearing problem and close to 100 children are born deaf. Producing more audiologists, organising frequent diagnostic camps in schools and spreading awareness on deafness will help eliminate the stigma. “There are instances wherein untrained persons distribute hearing aids. One can't just go and purchase a hearing aid like consumer goods. Imparting training is necessary,” he felt.

Former Indian wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani, who uses one of the hearing equipment manufactured by Widex, and MD, Widex, India, T. S. Anand were present.

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