For hearing impaired patients, there is a good news. The state government has started Cochlear Implant surgeries at Rajasthan Univesity of Health Sciences (RUHS), Jaipur. The improved medical facilities and appointment of leading specialists have enhanced the services at RUHS, which is being developed as a parallel to SMS Hospital – the largest hospital of Rajasthan.
Strategic Move
The complicated surgery of Cochlear Implant at RUHS is a strategic decision of the state government. First Dr Mohnish Grover, one of the best ENT surgeons of the country, was transferred to RUHS from SMS Hospital, where he was serving as Senior Professor ENT. Then health minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar and principal secretary health and medical education Gayatri Rathore decided to start Cochlear Implant at RUHS. They gave responsibility of opening a new centre of Cochlear Implant to Dr Mohnish Grover, who is the pioneer of Cochlear Implant in Rajasthan and has helped in setting up more than 10 such centres in India and abroad. Grover has done more than 1500 cochlear implants – the largest in the country.
“Cochlear implant is a complicated and expensive procedure. It costs around Rs 8 lakh. But it's available at RUHS for free under Mukhyamantri Ayushman Aarogya Yojana. It is a big boon for poor patients,” said Mohnish Grover.
Grover said cochlear implant is a surgically implanted electronic device that provides a sense of sound to patients with severe to profound hearing loss by directly stimulating the auditory nerve, bypassing damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) that traditional hearing aids can't help.
“Early the detection, better is the result. If a kid comes to us in initial years, the chances of recovery is quite bright. We have made thousands of kids hear and talk with this implant,” he said.
Who is Dr Mohnish Grover?
Dr Mohnish Grover is Senior Professor of ENT at SMS Medical College, currently posted at RUHS. He has done MS ENT from AIIMS, New Delhi and had been Senior Resident at the prestigious PGIMER, Chandigarh before joining SMS Hospital at his home town Jaipur.
Mohnish Grover is the nodal officer of Cochlear Implant at SMS Hospital. He is also the youngest president of All India Rhinology Society which has more than 1500 members across the country. The society is dedicated to advancing knowledge and innovation related to nasal and sinus disorders—including sinusitis, nasal allergy, nasal polyps, endoscopic surgery, and skull base procedures.
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