Kolkata: A visually and hearing impaired girl, whose single mother couldn't afford a surgery of Rs. 10 lakh, will be able to speak and hear following the intervention of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
In the first such case of a 'cochlear implant' done by the state health department, seven-year-old Swapnanika Barik's surgery was conducted on Wednesday at state-run SSKM hospital successfully.
"After the rehabilitation period of one year, her hearing power will resume fully. Her speech will also resume gradually but it will not be 100 per cent normal. The ideal age to have such an operation is three years and since she is a little older so her speech will not be fully normal," said Dr Arunabha Sengupta who conducted the surgery.
The girl's mother Toton Ghosh Barik, who lives in Mahisadal of East Midnapore district, had approached the Chief Minister, who also holds the health portfolio, with a request for financial help.
Official sources said after the Chief Minister's intervention the health department sponsored the cost of her treatment.
In the first such case of a 'cochlear implant' done by the state health department, seven-year-old Swapnanika Barik's surgery was conducted on Wednesday at state-run SSKM hospital successfully.
"After the rehabilitation period of one year, her hearing power will resume fully. Her speech will also resume gradually but it will not be 100 per cent normal. The ideal age to have such an operation is three years and since she is a little older so her speech will not be fully normal," said Dr Arunabha Sengupta who conducted the surgery.
Official sources said after the Chief Minister's intervention the health department sponsored the cost of her treatment.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Kolkata Rape-Murder Case Updates: Doctors Begin 24-Hour Nationwide Strike Doctors Begin 24-Hour Nationwide Strike Over Kolkata Rape-Murder: 10 Points "Vandals, Scandals Marring Civic Life In Bengal": Governor On Kolkata Rape Video: Woman Tries To Jump Off Mumbai's Atal Setu, Saved By Driver, Cops Parents Gave Names Of Interns, Doctors To CBI In Kolkata Horror: Sources How Extreme Weather Is Leading To Rise In Child Marriages In Pakistan Joe Biden Exit To Kamala Harris Endorsement: Wildest Month Ahead Of US Polls Kolkata Rape-Murder Case Updates: Doctors Begin 24-Hour Nationwide Strike Doctors Begin 24-Hour Nationwide Strike Over Kolkata Rape-Murder: 10 Points Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.