Thiruvananthapuram: Former Australian cricketer Brett Lee lauded the state for its excellent track record in providing cochlear implants to children with hearing disability. Brett Lee was in city on Friday to launch ‘Comprehensive Life Cycle Approach for Hearing Impairment’ as part of ‘Kathoram Project’ of the State Government. Health Minister K.K. Shailaja had inaugurated the projected aimed at providing coclear implants to kids with hearing impairment and rehabilitating them.
He attended the family meet of children who had undergone cochlear implantation in the state. Later at a press conference he shared the traumatic experience of his family following his son’s hearing loss at the age of five.
Bret Lee said though his son’s got back his normal hearing a after a brief period, it made him realise that every child deserved to live without hearing disability.
The cricketer highlighted the need for early detection of hearing disabilities to avoid complications in future. He praised the state’s initiative to detect hearing problems among new born babies early on and particularly referred to ‘Anuyatra,’ the government extensive programmes for the prevention of disabilities and sustainable rehabilitation of differently abled persons.
He said the high standards set by Kerala in cochlear implantation were an example worth emulating for other states.
Health minister K .K. Shailaja said under the project, free surgery will be made available to deaf children below five years, and new born babies will be monitored from the day of their birth to avoid any future problem. “We will implement the programme by clubbing the services and facilities of District Early Intervention Centres, Government Medical Colleges, reputed instituted functioning in this sector and Government programmes for the hearing impaired,” she added.
The government has decided to extend the new born hearing screening facility using OAE (Oto Acoustic Emission) test which is presently being implemented in 45 Government Delivery Points, to 21 more places before March 31, 2018.
Moreover, Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA) facility will be made available in all districts before March 31, 2018.
