Hyderabad, March 1st, 2019 : The two day National Seminar on Implantable Hearing Solutions (NSIHS) 2019, being organised by Apollo Hospitals, was formally inaugurated by Ms Sangita Reddy, Jt. Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals, on Friday at Taj Deccan. Also present on the occasion were Mr Mahi V. Raghav, Yatra movie Director; Dr EC Vinay Kumar, Organising Chairman, NSIHS.
The Apollo Cochlear Implant Clinic, the first such clinic in south India, established in 1994 at the Apollo Health City, Hyderabad, has performed more than 1500 implantations during this period. The Hospital’s Cochlear Implant Program has grown to be one of the largest pediatric implant programs in India and South Asia. This year marks the silver jubilee of the initiative. The multidisciplinary team at the Apollo Cochlear Implant Clinic, has special expertise in evaluating and implanting very young children, including infants. The team serves children and adults of all ages with hearing impairment.
NSIHS 2019, being organised consecutively for the fourth year on March 1st and 2nd, at the Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, is a joint program by Apollo Hospitals, Apollo Cochlear Implant Clinic, Apollo Institute of Medial Sciences & Research (AIMSR) and SAHI (Society to Aid the Hearing Impaired).
Ms Sangita Reddy speaking on the occasion said, a clinician draws inspiration from the patients he treated and Dr Vinay Kumar took that inspiration further by accomplishing some commendable achievements. He has been on a spree of milestones all his career, he and his team completed 1500 cochlear implant surgeries, a rare feat in the world, he was instrumental in bringing the prestigious World Congress of Cochlear Implants to Hyderabad, he was the first man who dared to dream of cochlear implant being accessible to every needy child, he also was the first person who had the courage to tell the Government the need to include cochlear implant under Arogyasri and made it happen, which benefit every child who can’t afford it otherwise. This Seminar is a step ahead in furthering our knowledge about Implantable Hearing Solutions and the immediate spinoff from which is enhanced care for patients.
Mr Mahi V. Raghav said, I am here because of a movie called Yatra, which is all about a man called Dr YS Rajashekar Reddy. I am fortunate to be part of a movie that tells his story, the reason for me to tell his story is Arogyasri. Our paths never crossed, I wasn’t in the country when he was the Chief Minister. The reason I told his story was the innumerable small heartwarming tales from strangers who had very nice things to narrate and mostly it was about Arogyasri. In all the stories I didn’t come across even one of the stories that I hear here, I really wish I came to know about this before and could have made it part of my movie. I have no words for Dr Vinay Kumar, but just to say thank you for your selfless service and I am ready to do my bit to be part of this effort in whichever way you want me to.
Dr EC Vinay Kumar said, we started the NGO, SAHI with the intent to spread awareness about this invisible ailment, which was not recognized in those days as an impediment for the child’s normal growth. It took lot of time and effort for us to sensitize people about this disorder. Our objective was to identify children in rural areas, in areas where they don’t have access to proper healthcare, we started this in a very small way, but gradually scaled it up to reach greater communities. After four years we realised we had to raise money for Cochlear implants, we started an initiative called ‘Gift an ear’ and mobilised donations from Corporates, philanthropists and provided this expensive treatment to children from impoverished families. Fortunately, in 2007 – 2008, it was made a part of Rajiv Arogyasri and for the first time in the country a deaf child could get this expensive surgery done free of cost. It was possible because of the foresight of Dr YS Rajashekar Reddy and this one step changed the way a deaf child was treated in the country and several other states followed what he started and today it’s a national program. The change this brought about is, children coming to hospital at an young age making possible early diagnosis and early intervention. Today we have reached a stage where no child with an hearing problem is sent back for the reason of lack of affordability, we somehow raise money for them. We will continue to do what we have been doing and it will only continue to grow to reach out to more needy children. The program can really be called a success the day when every needy child in India has access to a cochlear implant. SAHI has done its bit to the extent possible and will continue with the mission.
The fourth annual seminar will be a platform for the exchange of knowledge on basics to advances in Implantable hearing solutions for over 250 ENT Surgeons, Audiologists and Rehabitationalists across India. The main theme of the Seminar is “Challenges in Cochlear Implantation”, the sessions include Live CI surgeries, panel discussions on CI Programmes in India and Outcomes and choices in CI program- a long look back, latest surgical techniques, new criteria’s and information on handling difficult cases, Rehabilitation and other implantable hearing systems(ABI, BAHA, Vibrant Sound Bridge). The knowledge shared here will be a root map for all the organizations working with hearing impairment. Some of the renowned international faculty addressing the delegates at NSIHS 2019 include- Prof. Robert J Briggs, Australia; Prof. Gunesh Rajan from Switzerland and Prof. Jocelyn Ho from Australia. National faculty includes Prof. Mohan Kameswaran, Dr.E.C.Vinaya Kumar, Dr. MP. Manoj, Dr. Sunil Dutt, Dr. Shankar Medikeri, Dr. Ranjit Rajeswaran, Dr Srinivas, Ms. Nishita Mohandas, Dr N Banumathy, Ms Rashmi Deshpande, Ms Shefali Shah and few other.
About Society to Aid the Hearing Impaired (SAHI)
In November of 2004, a group of ENT surgeons, audiologists, and hospital management personnel, united with concerned citizens, to form SAHI. It is an Indian NGO that aims at helping underprivileged children with impaired hearing. SAHI mainly seeks to identify and aid children living in rural areas, with little or no access to modern medical treatment. Since its establishment, SAHI has been addressing this problem by means of conducting camps in remote areas of the state. Children with learning disabilities or hearing loss are given hearing aids by SAHI and those with ear diseases are given free ear surgeries, under the Hearing Impaired Girl children project SAHI is providing free cochlear implant surgeries for girl children.
About Apollo Hospitals
It was in 1983, that Dr. Prathap Reddy made a pioneering endeavour by launching India’s first corporate hospital – Apollo Hospital in Chennai. Now, as Asia largest and most trusted healthcare group, its presence includes 8,488 beds across 51 Hospitals, 1,586 Pharmacies, 92 Primary Care and Diagnostic Clinics, 100 Telemedicine units across 10 countries. Health Insurance services, Global Projects Consultancy, 15 colleges of Nursing and Hospital Management and a Research Foundation with a focus on global Clinical Trials, epidemiological studies, stem cell & genetic research and the first Proton Therapy Centre across Asia, Africa and Australia.
In a rare honour, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollo’s contribution, the first for a healthcare organization. Apollo Hospitals Chairman, Dr.Prathap C Reddy, was conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan in 2010. For more than 28 years, the Apollo Hospitals Group has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology. Our hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals globally for advanced medical services and research.