Bhopal: The first sound that made Ajleena smile was a single syllable: “Maama.” It came two months after her cochlear implant was switched on, following years of twice‑weekly trips from Multai to Bhopal by her mother, Nikhat. Born deaf and diagnosed as a toddler, Ajleena became AIIMS Bhopal’s first free cochlear‑implant recipient when she was six years old in 2016. For Nikhat, the word was not a miracle but the reward of relentless therapy and sacrifice.
Stories of Resilience and Renewal
Across AIIMS Bhopal’s audiology clinic, similar stories unfold. Rudra, an engineer, relied on hearing aids by age 10, but his hearing worsened over time. He sought an implant at AIIMS Bhopal, and a year later his vocabulary, tonal recognition, and confidence have grown. His caller tune now plays Maroon 5’s “Animals,” and at 22, he has secured a campus placement with a French IT multinational.
A government servant from Sagar, in his mid‑30s, describes the implant in practical terms. Progressive hearing loss had eroded his ability to follow meetings and phone calls. Surgery, combined with months of auditory training, restored workplace communication. Colleagues say he participates again; he calls everyday tasks less like obstacles.
Workshop and Institutional Commitment
Last week, AIIMS Bhopal hosted a three‑day Cochlear Implant Workshop under the theme CI‑DADA, drawing ENT surgeons from Institutes of National Importance and state medical colleges nationwide. Director Dr Madhabananda Kar emphasized the institute’s three pillars: research, training, and clinical service.
The Role of Therapy and Family Support
Clinicians stress that surgery is only the beginning. Long‑term audiology, speech therapy, and family commitment determine whether an implant truly reopens the world of sound. “Hearing through these devices followed by rigorous auditory verbal therapy (AVT) restores access to language and participation,” says AIIMS Bhopal medical superintendent and ENT HoD, Dr Vikas Gupta. “The implant is the hardware — the brain’s relearning through therapy is the software.” Early diagnosis and intervention remain the key factors.
Ideal Candidates and Outcomes
Ideal candidates are children with prelingual deafness and adults with postlingual deafness who gain little from hearing aids. Outcomes hinge on age at implantation, realistic expectations, and intensive rehabilitation. Beyond operating theatres, these journeys — Nikhat’s care, Rudra’s social re‑entry, and a government servant’s regained livelihood — show how small restorations compound into transformed life trajectories.
Free Access Under National Health Mission
Under the RBSK programme under the National Health Mission, free cochlear implants are provided to all children under five years of age, regardless of their family’s economic background. This universal access ensures that early intervention is available to every eligible child, giving them the best chance to develop language and communication skills.
Cochlear implants are offered to people who gain little benefit from conventional hearing aids: young children with severe-to-profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, adults who lose hearing later in life but cannot understand speech with aids, and selected older patients after careful assessment. For adults, free access or subsidized intervention is provided depending on their beneficiary status. In other words, eligibility for full or partial support is determined by the government’s defined categories of beneficiaries.
