20/07/2026
ENT Department of Shri M. P. Shah Government Medical College and Guru Gobindsingh Govt. Hospital,Jamnagar Completes 50 Free Cochlear Implant Surgeries
The Department of ENT at Shri M. P. Shah Government Medical College and Guru Gobindsingh Govt. Hospital, Jamnagar, has achieved a significant milestone by successfully performing 50 cochlear implant surgeries for children with profound hearing loss.
All 50 surgeries were carried out completely free of cost under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), Government of Gujarat. The beneficiaries were children below five years of age who were born with severe to profound hearing loss, leaving them unable to hear or develop speech. Through timely cochlear implantation, these children have now been given the opportunity to hear, acquire speech, and lead independent lives.
A cochlear implant surgery typically costs 12–15 lakh in private hospitals, making it beyond the reach of many families. The Government of Gujarat's RBSK scheme has made this advanced treatment accessible to children from economically weaker sections at no cost.
The ENT Department has established a comprehensive cochlear implant program in-house, providing every stage of care within the institute without any external collaboration or Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The services include pre-operative CT scan, MRI, blood investigations, vaccination, audiological evaluation (BERA with ASSR, Impedance Audiometry and OAE), intra-operative neural telemetry, post-operative implant activation (switch-on), mapping, and one year of speech therapy—all provided free of charge.
The 50th child, who recently underwent surgery, is from Junagadh, highlighting the institute's role as a referral centre for advanced ENT care across the region.
While the figure of 50 is a milestone, it represents 50 children who have been given the priceless gift of hearing and speech, bringing hope to their families and reaffirming the institution's commitment to providing world-class healthcare through public service.
