Cochlear implantation in India: A public health perspective.

Around 7% of the population of India suffers from profound deafness. More than a million children needs either hearing aid or cochlear implant surgery to restore their hearing power. Many of them had never heard a single word since their birth. Still only 5000 cochlear implant surgery has been conducted in the country, the first being nearly 20 years ago, and most of them in private health facilities where the patient paid out of their pocket. The main reason of such poor penetration of the surgery in masses is the inhibitory cost associated with cochlear implant surgery and the lack of trained man-power to conduct such surgeries. The other reason is being the government engagement with other pressing health needs of the society resulting in the shout of ear care falling on deaf ears. With the advent of National Program for Prevention and Control of Deafness (NPPCD) in 2006, there is renewed interest in tackling this public health disaster.

Deafness: Burden, prevention and control in India.

The high burden of deafness globally and in India is largely preventable and avoidable. According to the 2005 estimates of WHO, 278 million people have disabling hearing impairment. The prevalence of deafness in Southeast Asia ranges from 4.6% to 8.8%. In India, 63 million people (6.3%) suffer from significant auditory loss. Nationwide disability surveys have estimated hearing loss to be the second most common cause of disability. A lack of skilled manpower and human resources make this problem a huge challenge. The Government of India has launched the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness. This article highlights the major components of the programme with a focus on manpower development and ear service provision including rehabilitation. Since the programme is also being implemented at the primary healthcare level, it envisages a reduction in the burden of deafness and prevention of future hearing loss in India.