india

Updated: May 15, 2019 23:52 IST

Doctors in Mumbai have successfully completed a cochlear implant on a five-year-old hearing-impaired boy from Gujarat, allowing him a chance to hear sounds for the first time.

Harsh was found abandoned, a day after his birth, in the toilet of GK General Hospital in Bhuj in 2014. His parents could not be traced and police assigned him to a shelter for abandoned children.

“After legal formalities, he was taken to Kutch Mahila Kalyan Kendra — a group that runs homes for destitute orphans and adults,” said KJ Jadeja, assistant sub-inspector, Bhuj (B division) police station.

When workers at the orphanage realised the baby was not responding to sounds, they tried therapy sessions. “We took him to the local Dhanvantari Hospital where physicians informed us that he has congenital hearing loss which has also affected his speech,” said Illa Mehta, head of Kutch Mahila Kalyan Kendra.

However, in July 2018, there was new hope for Harsh after he attended a hearing screening camp organised in Bhuj by the ear nose throat (ENT) department of Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Versova.

Dr Sanjiv Badhwar, head and neck robotics surgeon and consultant ENT who was a part of the project said Harsh had no option but to undergo a cochlear implantation. “We invited him to Mumbai for free-of-cost surgery. Harsh underwent the operation for a cochlear implant in his right ear in January and soon, he was able to respond to sounds,” he said.