Cochin, the first city in India to have mass free Cochlear Implant facility
A group of doctors in Cochin are running a very good facility of free cochlear implants to children requiring them to make them disability free for lifelong. Paediatricians at the 9th annual national childhood disabilities conference feel that this model should be replicated in others states.
Speaking to Indian Academy of Paediatrics' National Childhood Disability Group (NCDG) president TOI Dr S S Kamath said, "Although it is always better to avoid cochlear implants in children unless necessary, we are first child development centre in country doing free cochlear implants on children. We are doing this for only children with profound hearing disability."
Dr Kamath also pointed out that NCDG had recently published the country's first ever book on disabilities in children -- Text book on childhood disabilities-a paediatrcian's perspective -- which has been widely accepted by the fraternity in India.
Former NCDG president Dr Abraham Paul said that proper screening of all children below the age of six months can pick up all kinds of hearing impairments and hence was the best way to avoid cochlear implants.
"The Child development centre at Cochin has developed a module which can help in early diagnosis of hearing, motor and visual impairments," he said. The centre has so far screened 46,00 babies and found hearing loss in 68 babies at very early stage. This has been possible through a group of 30 hospitals working together under the new born screening programmes being run in four districts.
