Medical camp organised for hearing impaired kids

* Hearing aids, medical treatment provided to the children at Chittoor Government Hospital
* 6,000 hearing impaired childrenindentified in the district: SSA PO

Chittoor: Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) Project Officer (PO) S Lakshmi said that a comprehensive project has been finalised to cover all the hearing impaired children in the district. Lakshmi stated that 6,000 children were identified for providing the hearing aids and the required medical assistance. She pointed out that District Collector Siddharth Jain has instructed the SSA to conduct medical camps for hearing impaired children and ensure the hearing aids were distributed to them at free of cost.

The SSA has conducted a medical camp at the Chittoor Government Hospital here on Friday in which scores of parents have brought their children. Hearing aids and treatment were provided to children at free of cost. District Medical Health Officer (DMHO) Dr Koteswari, District Coordinator of Hospitals (DCH) Dr Saralamma, and ENT specialists have participated in the medical camp.

Speaking to The Hans India here on Friday, Lakshmi said that the SSA has initiated to identify the hearing impaired children under the limits of all the primary health centres. The PO said that several drives were conducted to identify the hearing impaired children through Anganwadi centres in the district.

“We have decided to cover 6,000 children by organising the medical camps at Tirupati, Madanapalle, Kuppam, Palamaner, Nagari, Puttur, Srikalahasti and Punganur centres,” she added. The PO further said that the National Institute for the Hearing Handicapped has come forward to lend its support for identifying the children with hearing impaired and provide them with hearing aids.

She also informed officials of the district Women and Child Welfare Department have also identified few hearing impaired children and send them to the medial camps.

District Medical Health Officer Dr Koteswari said that enumeration has been taken up in schools for identifying the children, who are suffering with various ailments. DCH Saralamma pointed out that ENT specialists of the government hospital have examined the children and offered them hearing aids while recommending cochlear implant surgery for six children. The SSA has offered food for the parents, who attended the camp.