Pingalwara society’s gift to hearing-impaired students

27.04.2018
The All India Pingalwara Charitable Society (AIPCS) is planning to perform cochlear implant surgery (CIS) on more than 200 hearing-impaired students to give them a new lease of life.

Two such students of a school run by the society Sukhmanpreet Kaur ,8, and Manbir Kaur ,5, of Amritsar will get their hearing power through the CIS on April 29. President of the society Inderjit Kaur said that the surgery will be performed free of cost.

“The surgery on the two girls will be performed by Padam Shri Dr JM Hans, who is an eminent cochlear implant surgeon, and was the personal physician of former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh at the Pingalwara’s Manawala branch,” Kaur said.

Kaur said the society runs around six schools for hearing-impaired students in the state and around 270 students are getting free education in the institutions.

“Our mission is to give them a new lease of life. The society has already cured five of its deaf students Jagjeevan, Harmandeep, Amanpreet, Dharambir and Mehak, who are living a normal life now,” Kaur said.

She said, “With the cooperation of the Sangat, we look forward to many more such surgeries in the future.”

Professor of ENT (ear, nose, throat) at the department of Government Medical College, Jagdeepak Singh, said a cochlear implant is an electronic device which helps deaf people regain their hearing ability.

“The surgical implant, which is planted in the inner ear, is activated by a device worn outside the ear. Unlike hearing aids, which simply amplify sound, cochlear implants convert sound waves to electrical impulses in a way that mimics natural hearing. The cost of the surgery is around Rs 6.5 lakh each,” he said.

“The kids will be given a therapy by audiologists and speech therapists, after their surgery so that they will be able to hear and speak as early as possible,” he said.

He said the Pingalwara will also be organising a continuing medical education (CME) and seminar on deafness on April 29 at its Manawala branch.

Head of the schools for deaf students run by the society Rajinderpal Singh said that the society is providing free education to more than 250 deaf students by using internet technologies.

“We are also planning to open more such schools in the state, besides identifying poor deaf children to impart them education,” he said, adding that “the society spends Rs 30,000 per month on each student.”