Dindigul Government Medical College Hospital has successfully performed Cochlear implant surgeries on 10 children born with hearing defects.
The complex surgeries were being performed only in government hospitals in big cities such as Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore. Among the 11 newly-created Government Medical College Hospitals, Dindigul is the first to carry out these surgeries successfully. “We started it in 2022 with a three-and-a-half-year-old girl child. After one year of speech therapy, the girl who was deaf and dumb, has now started to speak fluently,” said M. Yoganandh the doctor in charge of Department of ENT.
The surgeries would cost around ₹6.40 lakh as the implant itself costs ₹4.33 lakh. However, these surgeries were possible under Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme.
Dean Suganthi Rajakumari had been encouraging the department to perform this surgery as it would give life back to such children. The surgery could be performed for children aged between two-and-a-half years and six years. “After the surgery, they will be given speech therapy for one year at the hospital. They have to attend two sessions, each session lasting up to one hour, Dr. Yoganandh said.
So far, 10 surgeries have been performed by the hospital. Children with hearing and speech problem could be tested through Otoacoustic emission test and bera tests at the hospital.
