500 hearing impaired children to get cochlear implant: Health Minister K Sudhakar
Bengaluru (PTI): As many as 500 children who were born with congenital hearing loss will get cochlear implant, Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar said on Sunday.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai had announced the creation of 'Hearing Impairment Free Karnataka' in the 2022-23 state budget.
In the current financial year, 1,939 children below the age of six years have been identified with hearing impairment, Sudhakar said.
"The Karnataka government will gift to 500 children below the age of six who were born with congenital hearing loss by providing them with free Cochlear Implants," the minister said in a statement.
He added that the state health department is working on a mission mode with a slogan 'Health for All' to cover every aspect of health and well-being and a new initiative has been planned to make Karnataka free from hearing impairments.
Special attention has been given to eliminating hearing loss in children under six years of age, Sudhakar further said.
Most of them have suffered from congenital deafness and the main reason for this is the mother's consumption of medicine, viral infection, suffocation and shock during the prenatal period, the minister said.
According to Sudhakar, a cochlear implant is a small electronic device that helps children with severe and profound hearing loss hear sounds. The implant is inserted into the cochlear of the inner ear.
"The processor of the device is placed behind the ear, and the hearing mechanism of the human body that had been dormant starts working again and transmits the audio signals to the brain," the minister explained.
He also said that an honorarium of Rs 250 will be given to each ASHA worker who has helped in identifying such children and have aided in the entire process.
Sudhakar said 20 hospitals including KC General Hospital, Indira Gandhi Children's Institute, Bowring and Lady Curzon Hospital, Bangalore Medical College BMCRI, KIMS Hubli have been identified to perform the procedure as they are well equipped for surgery.
Beneficiaries are identified by audiology teams working under National Programme for the Prevention and Control of Deafness (NPPCD) in collaboration with Mobile Health Teams under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK).
The identified eligible children will be sent to taluk and district-level hospitals for further evaluation and management, the minister said.
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Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 100th Saudi Pro League goal
Riyadh (AP): Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 100th Saudi Pro League goal as Al-Nassr beat Al-Shabab 4-2 to move five points clear at the top of the table.
The 41-year-old forward converted a Sadio Mané cross at the near post with 15 minutes remaining to record the 971st goal of his career on Thursday. It was also his 26th league goal of the season.
“Ronaldo is always dangerous going forward and we saw that again today,” Al-Nassr coach Jorge Jesus said.
João Félix, signed from Chelsea in July, scored three goals for the league leaders.
The win took Al-Nassr to 82 points from 32 games, five ahead of Al-Hilal, which has three matches, one more than Nassr, left to play. Al-Hilal meets Al-Kholood on Friday and faces Nassr on Tuesday in what could be a title decider against its Riyadh rival.
“Now we have a derby match against our rival, which is a difficult encounter,” Jesus said.
“We are fully aware of its importance, and we are dealing with it with complete focus as we know that small details could decide the result.”
Ronaldo, a five-time Ballon d'Or winner, has yet to secure a major trophy in Saudi Arabia since signing with Al-Nassr in December 2022.
