Three-year-old gets AI-based cochlear implant at govt hospital in Rajasthan
Jaipur (PTI): In a first for the government hospitals in the state, an artificial intelligence-based smart cochlear implant has been implanted in the ear of a three-year-old girl at the Rajasthan University of Health Sciences here.
The girl is stable after the nearly three-hour-long successful surgery and is expected to begin hearing and speaking within about 21 days, Dr Mohnish Grover, senior professor in the ENT department, said.
"This is the first such advanced cochlear implant procedure performed at the government hospital in the state, and it could open new possibilities in the treatment of hearing-impaired children," he said.
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Dr Grover said the girl had been suffering from congenital hearing impairment, which posed a major challenge for normal hearing and speech development.
She was not completely deaf since birth and could sense sounds. However, after the age of two, she gradually stopped hearing altogether.
Dr Grover said the implant contains a high-speed processing chip that improves sound quality. The internal implant placed inside the ear can function for nearly 30 years, while the battery of the external sound processor can last up to three years.
He said the implant uses a smart nerve technology that helps determine the correct placement during surgery. It also has internal memory to store the patient's mapping and data, and can be updated periodically like a smartphone.
Medical Education Department Commissioner Naresh Kumar Goyal said the procedure marks an important step towards providing advanced medical services in the state and will help strengthen efforts to offer modern healthcare facilities to patients within Rajasthan.
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Surjewala slams Pratap Simha’s ‘vile’ remarks on CM Siddaramaiah, demands apology from BJP
Bengaluru (PTI): Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the BJP over alleged disparaging remarks made by former Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during an assembly bypoll campaign in Bagalkote.
Simha made the remarks while campaigning for BJP candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath, triggering a political row ahead of the by-elections scheduled for April 9.
Congress has fielded Umesh Meti, son of former MLA late M Y Meti, whose death necessitated the bye-election.
"Pratap Simha's vile remarks about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bagalkot have exposed the BJP's despicable politics once again," Surjewala said in a social media post.
Alleging a larger political design, he added, "It is increasingly evident that Pratap Simha’s outburst is driven by desperation," and accused the BJP of using such remarks to target backward classes, Scheduled Castes, and minorities.
The Rajya Sabha member further claimed that the incident reflects a pattern within the party. "This is not one man's madness—it is the BJP’s political culture," he said, adding that the remarks were aimed at "denigrating leaders from marginalised communities".
Referring to past incidents, Surjewala said, "CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar have received death threats in the past, including one from BJP leaders who warned that their bodies would be stuffed into a refrigerator."
The Congress leader also criticised the BJP’s bypoll campaign strategy, alleging "internal contradictions".
He pointed to the party’s use of expelled MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal in campaigning despite earlier disciplinary action against him, accusing the BJP of resorting to "abuses and indignities" against opposition leaders.
Surjewala demanded immediate action from the BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, state president B Y Vijayendra, and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka.
He said they must tender a public apology to Kannadigas, particularly to OBCs, SCs, and minorities, over the remarks, and urged the party to expel Simha if it does not repudiate his statements.
Surjewala also called for legal action, demanding that an FIR be registered against Simha and that strict measures be taken.
Warning of "political consequences", he said the electorate in the bypoll-bound constituencies would respond decisively if the BJP failed to apologise, asserting that voters would "teach the BJP a befitting lesson" in the elections.
There has been no immediate reaction from the saffron party yet.
