BENGALURU: Those undergoing cochlear implant under the state government’s ‘Shravanadosha Mukta Karnataka’ would be given free auditory-verbal therapy for one year. However, doctors are skeptical if one year would suffice.
Under this project, the state government is offering implants to children between the age group of 0 and 6. While those getting the implants before the age of three would need about a year for the therapy to show effects, other children might need it longer, said doctors.
In case the child needs the therapy for longer, it would mean an additional expenditure of Rs 500 for each session. The child is expected to take two sessions a week. A city doctor said even with the Assistance to Disabled Persons scheme, a similar challenge surfaced. Children with the implant took more than a year to show results from the therapy.
Centres from Thiruvananthapuram have written to the Centre seeking additional financial assistance for extension of the therapy. “Under the scheme, one year free therapy was offered to these children. Yet, many needed it for longer. When they had to pay for it, many parents told us that they would drop out as the expenses were too high. With only a handful of centres offering the therapy, it would mean an additional travel expense,” said the doctor.
Dr Vasanthi Anand, cochlear implant surgeon, Sri Bhagwan Mahaveer Jain Hospital, said the challenge arises when parents are uneducated. “They will be unable to gather much and will need repeated assistance from doctors. For those below three years, one year will suffice.
For the others, it is tough as their language-picking abilities would not be as great as a newborn,” she added. Dr Madhuri Gore, professor, audiologist, SR Chandrashekar Institute of Speech and Hearing, said the aim of the therapy is now to accelerate the rate of learning.
‘Not aware of launch’
Even as state government mentions the name of Dr J M Hans, a Padma Shri awardee as a panel member, he said he had no intimation about the launch. “I was part of the initial survey. I have been excluded from the committee without intimation.”
