A Government Schoolteacher In Tamil Nadu Became A Saviour For A Little Girl

Martia, a resident of Alambadi in the Lalgudi taluk, was diagnosed with a hearing issue at the age of two. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, her hearing aid which is the external device stopped working, and Divya couldn't afford to have it repaired. She estimates that servicing it will cost between Rs 60,000 and Rs 1 lakh.

She ultimately sought help from Satheesh Kumar, a government school teacher in Lalgudi, after knocking on multiple doors. He arranged for finances totaling just over Rs 1 lakh and provided assistance in exchange for service.

Kumar said that he wanted that the child to have a decent life and do well in school. Due to a malfunction in the device, she has lost the progress she had made in speaking. She didn't wear her hearing aids for almost two years because she couldn't get it fixed.

Divya is from a humble family and has had to overcome several obstacles. She was diagnosed with polio when she was two years old. She has experienced life as a disabled person and understand the difficulties. She will not allow this to happen to her child. Her husband works at a two-wheeler store in the neighbourhood. Making ends meet is difficult. She explained that they got by for years by taking out loans, and sometimes they ran out of money to take out loans.

She went on to say that her daughter had fits when she was one and a half years old and couldn't hear after that. The surgery for a cochlear implant cost more than Rs eight lakh. Martia had petitioned the then-Collector for assistance, and the surgery was performed at MGMGH in 2017. Divya added that she also proceeded to speech treatment for a year, which caused her regular schooling to be delayed.

Martia is presently in Class 3 at an Alambadi government school.

The State government recently incorporated cochlear accessory services for CMCHIS recipients. The most essential aspect, according to Dr. Palaniappan, HOD ENT department, MGMGH, is the one-year rehab/speech therapy. It is critical to keep the external device in good working order.