THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Former Australian pace bowler Brett Lee called on Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday as part of the visit to the National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH) as a Global Hearing Ambassador of hearing aid manufacturer Cochlear. He also praised the state in the early diagnosis of hearing disability and its effective treatment.
Following a brief meeting with Pinarayi, the former cricketer said Kerala has been number one in diagnosing hearing disability. “I have begun the mission after my child was diagnosed with hearing disability at the age of 5,” Lee said. He also appreciated the efforts of the state government in making hearing ability test at all the government hospitals mandatory.
Lee said this model should be replicated in other states and countries. Health Minister KK Shailaja said the government has given prominence to the early test of disability at all the hospitals in the state. She also said efforts are on to make disability tests mandatory for private hospitals as well.
Brett Lee added there was an impressive progress in the state in terms of diagnosis and treatment. Social Security Mission executive director Dr Mohammed Asheel has also accompanied the minister. Lee has been visiting India for more than two decades now and through his campaign ‘Hearing Matters’ he aims to bring more focus on hearing health and the importance of early intervention. As a Global Hearing ambassador, he also highlighted they are planning to make cochlear implant affordable to everyone.