S.K.E. Appa Rao, chairman of Susruta ENT Hospital and former president of Indian Society of Otology, has been elected as a member of the International Advisory Board of Global Cochlear Implant Access Network (GCIAN).
Dr. Appa Rao participated as a faculty at the 5th World Congress on Cochlear Implant (CI) in Emerging Nations – Otoalex 19, Egyptian CI’, held in Cairo from October 9 to 11. The World Congress has elected five members to the advisory board that has been entrusted with the conduct of the next World Congress on cochlear implant, which is scheduled to be held in India next year.
Delegates from over 50 countries attended the international conference and discussed recent on ‘cochlear implant and micro-ear surgical techniques’. He also delivered the keynote lecture on ‘maximising results in stapes surgery’.
Addressing the media here on Wednesday, Dr. Appa Rao said the board would finalise various issues pertaining to hearing problems in children. The panel has requested pharma majors to provide cochlear implants at subsidised prices to the needy children in African countries.
“People in many countries can not afford the battery costing around ₹10,000 for the hearing machine, even as the machines are being provided free of cost. Some companies have agreed to supply cochlear implants at subsidised cost to the needy. The board has also decided to hold awareness programmes on the importance of early detection of hearing problems,” he said.
Dr. Appa Rao explained that though the Centre had set up early intervention centres in all districts across the country, they were far from the adequate. “Only when a baby can hear, his/her speech will develop. An Otto Acoustic Emission (OAE) machine can detect hearing problems in even in one-day-old babies,” he said and added that free screening was being done at Susruta ENT Hospital and if hearing loss was detected, further evaluation would be done.
