Mangalore: A processor worth 5 Lakh rupees was donated to a 7-year-old child from a poor economic background which aided rehabilitation of the child through the MAHE- Pai Family Endowment (in memory of Suhas Gopal Pai) at Kasturba Medical College Mangalore.
A 7-year-old child was diagnosed with profound hearing loss by 2 years of age. He received a cochlear implant through the Central government ADIP scheme in 2016.
The surgery was successfully done at KMC Hospital Attavar. The child was progressing well with good development of speech and language. However, in October 2021, the processor in the implant started malfunctioning and he stopped hearing.The child’s family could not afford Rs. 5 lacs, which was the amount needed to replace the processor. A suitable processor was procured through the “MAHE- Pai Family Endowment” and handed over to the parents by Dr B. Unnikrishnan – Dean KMC Mangalore in the virtual presence of philanthropist Mrs Anuradha Gopal Pai on 13/01/22.
The handover ceremony, which was held with all the Covid precautionary guidelines, was attended by Associate Deans, Deputy Medical Superintendent and faculty from the departments of Pediatrics, ENT and Audiology & Speech-language pathology of KMC Mangalore.
The parents of the child thanked Mrs Anuradha Gopal Pai and Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE) for rehabilitating their child and enabling him to attend school along with his peers.
Dr Radish Kumar B- Head of Dept. of Audiology and Speech-language pathology at KMC Mangalore, who compered the ceremony explained ‘Through the MAHE- Pai Family endowment, we have procured & installed equipment for screening and diagnosing newborn hearing loss at Government Lady Goshen Hospital, Mangalore. Through this initiative, about 10,000 newborns have been screened for hearing loss since 2020. The infants diagnosed with profound hearing loss shall be rehabilitated at KMC Hospital Attavar’.