GAYA: The ongoing Shravan Shruti programme has revealed that as many as 24 children are suffering from moderate or severe hearing loss problem in the district.
According to the statistics, of 112 children referred, brain stem evoked response audiometry (BERA) test was conducted on 56 and 24 of them tested positive for it.
The children tested BERA positive are under category of having severe hearing loss problem. Cochlear implant is the treatment of such children, which costs around Rs 8 lakh. The district administration has decided to arrange cochlear implant for such children for free with support from a Kanpur-based hospital.
Gaya DM Thiyagarajan SM said the ICDS and the health department have been urged to organise camps to ensure screening and identification of children suffering from hearing loss problem. "So far, screening of more than 15,000 children has been done in Gaya town, Bodh Gaya, Sherghati, Tekari, Khisersarai and Belaganj blocks in the district," he added.
"Maximum 12 children tested BERA positive in Tekari block, where screening of 2,621 children was done. No such case has been identified in Gaya town block," the DM said.
