R4Review had the privilege of being part of a press conference which focused towards eradicating Hearing inabilities in individual all across the world.
The speaker Mr. Tejinder Singh(Director MED-EL India) along with Dr. J.M Hans(MS ENT from PGI) had hopes for a bright future for India in field of Hearing Implants.
Whereas Mr . Tejinder Singh talked about companies focus to overcome Hearing Loss as a barrier to communication and quality of life, further innovations in the field of hearing implants and their latest cochlear implants technology , Dr. J.M Hans talked about how it is an easy way to give hearing to someone who has never heard before and his struggle to get a subsidy from Government of India to perform surgeries. Mr. Hans also talked about how hearing loss can affect a child’s career and how this surgery is useful for those in need ,citing example of how happy a person feels after hearing for the first time. The happiness he felt prompted him to switch from a cancer surgeon to a hearing implant surgeon.
In India itself around 8.8% people suffer from hearing loss and millions of children are still waiting for hearing implant if provided at an early stage can help them lead a normal life.
MED-EL has been working towards lowering this number by providing cochlear implants(Read more about it at http://www.medel.com and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cochlear_implant
) and supporting government sponsored cochlear implant programs in Assam,Gujarat,MP,Kerala and many more states in India. Hearing loss has been the most neglected disorder in human civilization but
has long lasting effects on speech of a new born or a young child if there are further delays in treatment.
Cause?
1. Noise pollution in India has reached alarming levels and this has also caused people losing hearing abilities over a course of time.
2. Less Inter Caste Marriage , Strange but that is also has been a major factor in hearing inabilities being genetically transferred.
3. Less or no focus on hearing disorders in India.
Why MED-EL?
1. The company provides 10 years support after the implant which is the most important aspect for speedy recovery after the cochlear implants.
2. Certified professionals part of the team.
3. Trust of more than 40 years behind them.
4. Support centers/clinics around the globe.
5. Minimized effect of Water and dust on the implants.
The only thing that can be alarming for an individual’s family would be the implications(Mr. Hans has done 99% successful operations which last for 30 minutes to 1 Hrs. with no major side effects) and cost of the surgery + implants which range from 5 Lakh to 13 Lakhs , that is where a government aided implants are the need of an hour in India. So we @ R4Review with MED-EL appeal to our readers and the government to support more hearing transplants so that young can build a career and old can guide them in time of need.
I would pen down with a quote from Hellen Keller “Blindness separates us from things but deafness separates us from people” , So if we can use technology for defying deafness why not start today?
Also another one from Italo Calvino “It is not the voice that commands the story : it is the ear”. So let this story of MED-EL be heard and spread for a hearing cause and a better India.
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