Ahmedabad: Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Sunday engaged with children who have received cochlear implants at Science City in Ahmedabad. During his visit, he also toured the aquatic gallery alongside the children.
CM Highlights State Support for Hearing Impaired
In a post on X, Patel wrote, "When parents realize that their child cannot hear, it comes as a huge shock. For such a child, life becomes very challenging. However, cochlear implants are a technology that help provide hearing ability to young children." He further added, "Generally considered expensive, this service is provided free of cost by the state government to children up to the age of six. If the external speech processor stops functioning over time, the state government will replace it once free of charge."
Emotional Interaction with Children
Describing his interaction, Patel wrote, "Seeing these innocent children speaking and listening filled my heart with emotions like affection, hope, trust and satisfaction. The smiles on their faces and the sound of their voices were the biggest achievement of my day." He urged citizens to inform authorities about children who may need cochlear implants, emphasizing that the state government provides these implants free of cost to all children with congenital deafness.
Screening Under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram
Under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), the state health and family welfare department has been conducting screening of students, including children below six years of age, for congenital deafness. This initiative aims to identify and assist children with hearing impairments at an early stage.
