All applications received under Sruthitharangam scheme, in which the government pays for free cochlear implantation, rehabilitation, and follow-up services of children under five years with hearing impairment, has been approved, a statement issued by the Health department said here.
Steps are being taken to empanel more hospitals under the scheme. A special mobile application to ensure patient-friendly treatment facilities will be developed.
Health Minister Veena George at a review meeting held here on Friday said that a directive had been given to explore whether district hospitals can be given training in the maintenance of cochlear implant devices.
She appreciated the team at Kozhikode Medical College Hospital which had taken up the maintenance of the devices of all children under the scheme and directed other hospitals to complete the implantation surgery, maintenance of devices, and processor upgradation in a time-bound manner.
The maintenance of the devices of 219 children under Sruthitharangam was completed, while that of 117 more children would be taken up soon. In the case of the rest, procedures were on to take up the maintenance.
The surgeries of 33 children out of the 79 children, whose request for cochlear implantation was cleared by the technical committee, has been completed, while preparations were on in hospitals for the surgeries of the rest of the children. Steps were also on to complete the processor upgradation applications of 76 children.
All services under Sruthitharangam are being managed by the State Health Agency, the implementing agency.
Cochlear implantation surgeries and related services are provided through Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, and Kozhikode Government Medical College Hospitals and six other empanelled hospitals.
