A man has registered an FIR (First Information Report) with the DN Nagar police station after the sound processor of his wife's cochlear implant device was stolen.
The device, costing Rs 2.5 lakh, was stolen from the residence of Pradeep Bamne, a tailor in a small chawl in Andheri, in April this year. The device belongs to his wife Prerna.
"She has not been hearing anything for the last seven months. Now she speaks loudly. I told the police that we don't want anything else which we lost, but only the processor. It is of no use to anybody," said Pradeep.
Pradeep and Prerna had bought the implant after raising money with the help of some NGOs.
Forty six-year-old Prerna lost hearing in March 2012. After a lot of tests, it became clear that she has permanent hearing loss. Though its exact cause is not known, doctors say it could be the effect of drugs she had consumed in the past.
It was then an ENT specialist in KEM Hospital advised Prerna to undergo cochlear implant surgery, costing Rs 5.8 lakh. They came into contact with Dr Hetal Marfatia, professor, unit head, ENT department at KEM.
She successfully underwent the surgery and was leading a normal life since then.
In April 2015, there was a theft in her house. The dry box, in which she had kept the implant in the night to get rid of moisture, was stolen. She lost her processor.
"There are two parts to an implant. An internal device, which is fitted surgically and the external device, which is worn behind the ear – sound processor. When patients go to sleep, they remove the external device (sound processor). The device is kept in a dry box with silica gel so that moisture doesn't destroy it. This improves the life span of the implant," said Dr Marfatia.
"Now, to hear again, Prerna has to buy another processor, which costs Rs 2.5 lakh. She has to raise funds. It's very unfortunate," she said.
Pradeep says he will have to approach NGOs again to help his wife regain hearing. "But I know, it's going to be difficult."
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