In An Effort To Combat Hearing-Impairment, Karnataka Govt To Provide Free Cochlear Implants To 500 Kids

Studies conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate that approximately 63 million people in the country are suffering from Significant Auditory Impairment. Among the Deaf and Hard of hearing (DHH) community, a good proportion consists of children, and they continue to be prone to lose their hearing capacities.

Addressing these growing concerns and aiding a solution for them, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar said that the government would provide free cochlear implants to about 500 children born with congenital hearing loss. The kids given the free-of-cost treatment would be below the age of six, and the department is closely working with ground-level workers to identify the children in need.

Towards Hearing Impairment Free Karnataka

Under the mission of "Health for All," the state health department hopes to cover every aspect of health and well-being. As a part of this, a new initiative has been brought to make Karnataka free from hearing impairment. The project would especially focus on eliminating the incidence of hearing loss among children below six years of age.

The 'Hearing Impairment Free Karnataka' program was announced under the 2022-23 budget. According to the health minister, "the government has made all arrangements to provide free cochlear implants to 500 children to improve their speech and hearing ability."

Beneficiaries of the project will be identified by the audiology teams working closely with the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness (NPPCD). These teams would also collaborate with Mobile Health Teams under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK). The ministry has also announced an honorarium of ₹250 to Asha workers involved in identifying eligible children.

Assisting The DHH Community

Children eligible for the free implants will be sent to taluk and district hospitals for evaluation and management. About 20 hospitals have been shortlisted to evaluate them and perform these medical procedures, including KC General Hospital, Indira Gandhi Children's Institute, Bangalore Medical College, KIMS Hubli, and so on. Additionally, the list would also carry names of hospitals for conducting the free surgery.

A report by The New Indian Express stated, in this financial year, approximately 1,939 children aged below six have been identified with hearing impairment. They all suffer from congenital deafness due to reasons such as aftereffects of medicine consumption, viral infection, possible suffocation and shock in the mother during the prenatal period, and so on. Further, under the project, currently, 652 children have been identified, of whom 586 are receiving treatment at various levels.

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