Involve volunteers in efforts to address deafness among children, Governor tells CIGI doctors

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on Friday advised doctors of the Cochlear Implant Group of India (CIGI) to involve the larger society in their efforts to make the country free from deafness

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi on Friday advised doctors of the Cochlear Implant Group of India (CIGI) to involve the larger society in their efforts to make the country free from deafness.

Addressing the inauguration of CIGICON 2023, the 20th national conference of CIGI here, he asked doctors to “harness the energy, goodwill of the people”. He said there was no dearth of good people in the country who would volunteer to help in such causes. His remarks came in the backdrop of a suggestion made at the conference on the need for universal screening of newborns for deafness since interventions for hearing loss would be effective if done early.

Mr. Ravi cited the example of a large network of volunteers used in the “Nikshay Mitra” programme for the elimination of tuberculosis in India.

Lauding the efforts of CIGI in the past two decades towards making cochlear implants more accessible to those in need, he said although the mission to make the country deafness-free appeared daunting, it could be achieved with the participation of such volunteers. He said India had made great progress in areas such as making it free from open defecation or increasing the contribution of renewable sources in meeting its energy needs.

Mohan Kameswaran, one of the founders of CIGI and organising chairman of CIGICON 2023, said it was a matter of pride that the 20th national conference was held in Chennai, the city where CIGI was conceived. He said CIGI had grown from a small group of around 20 people to more than 750 people now, making it the world’s largest such group of professionals working in the area of hearing impairment.

Pointing out that membership of CIGI stood at 814 as on Friday, its president Neelam Vaid said the organisation had made great strides in its three main focus areas of education, research and charity. She said each member followed a “no compromise” policy not only in providing better patient outcomes but also in personal ethics.

Monish Grover, Secretary, CIGI, said the organisation planned to bring out its revised guidelines on cochlear implants next year. The guidelines were last revised six years ago, he said.