AGARTALA, March 11 (TIWN): Cochlear implant surgery has started in Agartala GB hospital initially with experts brought from outside.

Today’s surgery was done by an expert Dr. Amitabha Roy Chowdhury, an eminent ENT surgeon, 

Addressing media, Health Dept Secretary Debasish Basu said that the surgery is funded by NHM and patients are sent outside but now Govt has taken initiative to bring surgent here regularly. With this, our state’s Doctors also can learn this and the capacity building may develop.

Basu further mentioned that this surgery has to be done from 1 to 5 years of age and also has risk factor.

A cochlear implant is a small electronic device that electrically stimulates the cochlear nerve (nerve for hearing). The implant has external and internal parts. The external part sits behind the ear. It picks up sounds with a microphone. It then processes the sound and transmits it to the internal part of the implant.