KARACHI: Fourteen more children will gain the ability to hear after the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) plans to conduct cochlear implant surgeries on them in January 2015.
Nine successful surgeries were conducted in November, with none of the children suffering from any complications, said DUHS pro-vice-chancellor Dr Umar Farooq at a press briefing at the Ojha Campus on Monday. He added that the children operated upon would be able to speak and listen after getting speech therapy in the next two years.
Dr Farooq also said that the parents of the children had not only been provided with cochlear implant gadgets but had also been trained in their use. “The cochlear implant is for those children who lost their ability to hear before birth,” explained Dr Farooq. “The chances of recovery increase if the surgery is performed on the children below five years of age.” Around 352 children are registered with DUHS for the surgery, which is conducted on a first-come-first-serve basis.
According to Dr Farooq, a single cochlear implant surgery costs around Rs2.5 million abroad and in government-run hospitals, but at DUHS, it is being carried out either free of cost for underprivileged families, or at a low price for those who can afford it. He appealed to people to donate to the cause in order to help DUHS continue the project.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2014.
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