BIRRD to conduct 25 cochlear implant surgeries a month

Tirupati: TTD Chairman Y V Subba Reddy on Friday said that BIRRD hospital is gearing up to conduct 25 cochlear implant surgeries a month for the hearing-impaired children to improve hearing ability. Subba Reddy, who visited BIRRD, interacted with the children, who underwent the implant surgeries in the hospital and also with parents, doctors and staff. The parents were all praise for the TTD for implant surgery free of cost to their children relieving them from financial burden. TTD, expanding the horizon of its social service activities in the health sector, recently introduced cochlear implants to hearing impaired children in its BIRRD hospital.

Speaking to media persons along with EO AV Dharma Reddy, JEO (H&E) Sada Bhargavi and BIRRD OSD Dr Reddappa Reddy, the Chairman said TTD launched the cochlear implant for children with hearing difficulties in 2022 upon the directives of Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy. Accordingly, with the blessings of Lord Venkateswara and the dedicated service of expert doctors, the BIRRD hospital began such implant surgery, one per month and has now enhanced it to 10 surgeries to hearing impaired children.

A team of doctors from Apollo Hospital, Hyderabad including Dr EC Vinay Kumar, Dr Rambabu were also involved along with TTD doctors in the implant surgery, he said adding TTD decided to perform cochlear implant which involves an expenditure of Rs 7-14 lakh, free of cost to the needy children.

So far, the TTD Chairman said 120 children have been registered at the TTDs Shravanam project set up by the TTD for hearing impaired children, for cochlear implant surgeries and added that the implant surgeries will be done in a phased manner to cover all the children registered.

Similarly, on the advice of the CM, 46 cleft palate operations on children in coordination with Smile Train organisation have been performed since May last in BIRRD. Arrangements are being made for corrective surgeries for cleft palate in the coming days.

It may be noted here that, TTD set up BIRRD as an ortho care institute but later it was expanded to take up cochlear implants and also corrective surgeries for cleft palate to make the affected children near normal.