FREE COCHLEAR IMPLANT SURGERY AT GH ON A GIRL
Tamil Nadu Industrial
Investment Corporation (TIIC ) in a rare gesture offered of donation ensured that an eight-year-old girl
from Cuddalore will soon hear and talk like others in her family. Shabana Azmi
underwent cochlear implant surgery at the
The little girl is the
first patient to receive the implant free of cost at a government hospital in
the State. A cochlear implant costs Rs. 5 lakh and though the hospital does
surgeries free of cost, the disposable consumables used for the procedure do
cost money, said Hospital Dean J M ohanasundaram.
Shabana, who was born
deaf, hails from a poor rural family and could not afford the expensive
implant. Doctors at the GH decided to approach philanthropists and their search
ended with the), which offered to support the surgery. The effort provided the
hospital the impetus to take forward the project. “We were trying to start the
programme in our hospital, but cochlear implant is very expensive and the
Kalaignar insurance scheme does not cover the entire expenses. That was when we
approached others for funds and the TIIC came forward.”
TIIC chairperson Sheela
Rani Chunkath said her department came forward to fund the surgery when the GH
dean made the request. “Once it has been demonstrated that the GH has the
expertise to do this kind of surgery the funds will automatically flow,
particularly in an era of private healthcare,” she said.
Shabana will undergo a
long session of speech therapy after she recuperates from the surgery.
Congratulations to
Sheela Rani Chunkath and TIIC for a
great gesture. Its indeed Humane
