HYDERABAD: The first cochlear implant surgery under the Aarogyasri Health Care scheme was performed on Monday by Gandhi Hospital doctors here. The surgery was performed on a three-year-old girl, Ruthvika, daughter of Motekani Naveen Mamatha of Siddipet district.
Congratulating the team, Health Minister T Harish Rao said that the surgery which costs Rs 15 lakh in a private hospital, was performed free by the government hospital. A cochlear implant is a complex medical device that helps people who are not able to hear even with hearing aids.
The surgery to place it in the ear lasts two to four hours. Unlike hearing aids, which amplify sound, a cochlear implant bypasses damaged portions of the ear to deliver sound signals to the hearing nerve. A team of six doctors specialising in Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Anesthesia and Pathology department successfully conducted the surgery.