Better awareness on newborn hearing screening need of the hour: P Sathasivam

Kozhikode: The Indian Society of Otology (ISO) should work to create awareness on the need for a universal newborn hearing screening programme in the country, said Governor Justice P. Sathasivam. Speaking after inaugurating the 25th annual national conference of the Indian Society of Otology (ISOCON-2016) here on Friday, he quoted WHO statistics that over 360 million people worldwide have hearing loss, which consists of 32 million children. "This explains why Otologists have a great role to play. Their timely intervention improves one's health as well as self-confidence," the governor said.

ISO national president Dr. AP Sambandan presided over the function. Dr. Ravi Ramalingam, national secretary, Dr. K.K. Ramalingam, founder and adviser, Dr. Prabhakaran C, organising chairman of Isocon-2016, and Dr. Sharafudeen P.K., organising secretary, also spoke on the occasion. Nearly 1,200 ENT surgeons, including 50 from abroad, are attending the conference. Among the highlights of the conference will be the live surgical demonstration of Otology, Neuro-Otology and Implantation Otology, while the discussions and papers will benefit doctors and about 300 ENT post-graduate students from medical colleges from across the country.

Twenty surgeries, including one high-end cochlear transplant, are going to be performed by a team of five doctors from abroad. The complicated surgeries which will be performed at Star Care Hospital in Kozhikode will be shown live to the delegates at Kadavu Resort, where the conference is being hosted. The experts will perform complicated surgeries at a low cost on 20 patients selected from across the country.