Aarogyasri, CMRF, Manipal Hospital enable 70 deaf kids hear

VIJAYAWADA:  Chief Minister's Relief Fund (CMRF) and Dr YSR Aarogyasri Health Scheme have enabled over 70 children between two to three years old to receive cochlear implants, thereby giving them the ability to hear. The kids had been either deaf or hard of hearing since their birth.

Speaking on the eve of International Cochlear Implant Day being observed on February 25, Saturday, Cochlear Implant Surgeon Dr V. Venkata Krishna Sandeep said Manipal Hospital, Vijayawada, has become the only hospital in Andhra Pradesh to perform 70 plus cochlear implant surgeries, 10 of the surgeries being bilateral implants. As a result, two to three-year-old kids are now able to communicate and enjoy a better quality of life.

Audiologist Sridhar Jasti said, “There are many instances of kids being deaf from birth or having hearing issues. Such kids, who undergo the cochlear implantation procedure, are able to live happier and trouble-free lives.”

Vijayawada Manipal Hospital director Dr Sudhakar Kantipudi underlined that CMRF and Aarogyasri have turned into a boon for kids with hearing difficulties. Thanking the government for helping more than 70 children get cochlear implants, Dr Sudhakar appealed to people that they make good use of cochlear implant surgeries and enable hearing-deprived kids to listen and improve the quality of their lives.