IPL Sunrisers Team felicitates Apollo Doctors

IPL Sunrisers team felicitates Apollo Doctors for their humongous effort of completing 1000 Cochlear Implants!

Hyderabad, April 15th, 2016: IPL Sunrisers team members - WS Laxman, Tom Moody, Shikhar Dhawan, Moises Henriques, Muttiah Muralitharan, Mustafizur Rehman, Ashish Reddy, Ricky Bhui, Abhimanyu Mithun, Naman Ojha and Eoin Morgan, felicitated ENT specialists at Apollo Hospitals, led by Dr EC Vinay Kumar for their humongous effort of completing 1000 cochlear implants at a program hosted by Apollo Hospitals and SAHI, on Friday at Apollo Hospitals, Jubilee Hills. Also present on the occasion were Ms Sangita Reddy, Jt. Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals; Dr Hari Prasad, President, Apollo Hospitals and Ms Neha, IAS, first Indian woman Cochlear Implantee IAS officer. The cricketers later interacted and entertained the special kids, present. The players also unveiled SAHI Music Fest logo on the occasion.

Upcoming sports champions Shams-UI-Huq, Special Olympics gold & bronze medalist in Skates; Sai Chandan, National level gold & silver medalist- Lawn tennis and Dharani Kasyap, Chess champion, who received Raja Bahadur award; were felicitated for their outstanding accomplishments.

According to WHO estimates, approximately 63 million people suffer from significant hearing impairment every year in India. 4-5 babies in every 1000 born suffer from severe to profound hearing loss in India. If left untreated in the first 3-5 years of life, these children end up with hearing and speech disorders through their lifetime.

The Apollo Cochlear Implant Clinic, the first in south India, was established in 1994 at the Apollo Health City, Hyderabad. The Clinic headed by Dr.E.C.Vinaya Kumar and Co-ordinated by Dr.K.Rambabu and Dr. Jaswinder Singh, is a dedicated implant team of renowned ENT Surgeons, experienced Audiologists, Speech pathologists, AVT Therapists, psychologist, a registered nurse and support staff. Every year, the Cochlear Implant Clinic helps more than 150 hearing impaired adults and children gain improved access to sound; some of them hearing sounds for the first time.
The Apollo Cochlear Implant team set a remarkable World record in conducting the highest number of Cochlear Implant surgeries (18) in a single day, recorded by Limca book of records in 2008. This March, the team reached one of the biggest milestones - 1000 cochlear Implants, performed since 1994. Apollo's Cochlear Implant Program has grown to be one of the largest pediatric implant programs in India and South Asia.

Cochlear Implant Surgery empowers a hearing impaired child, helps him/ her to evolve into a respectable citizen, besides enabling them to achieve their dreams and ambitions. It enables them to live life on their own terms, says Dr E.C.Vinay Kumar, Head, Dept, of ENT, Apollo Health City and Secretary, SAHI.

It was truly heartwarming to see the cochlear implantee children at Apollo Hospitals spending some quality time with their favourite cricketers and narrating their stories, while the players were equally keen in hearing their inspirational endeavours, says Dr Rambabu, ENT Surgeon, Apollo Health City & Director Medical Services, SAHI.

About Society to Aid the Hearing Impaired (SAHI): In November of 2004, a group of ENT surgeons, audiologists, and hospital management personnel, united with concerned citizens, to form SAHI. It is an Indian NGO that aims at helping underprivileged children with impaired hearing. SAHI mainly seeks to identify and aid children living in rural areas, with little or no access to modern medical treatment. Since its establishment, SAHI has been addressing this problem by means of conducting camps in remote areas of the state. Children with learning disabilities or hearing loss are given hearing aids by SAHI and those with ear diseases are given free ear surgeries.

About Apollo Hospitals: It was in 1983, that Dr. Prathap Reddy made a pioneering endeavour by launching India's first corporate hospital - Apollo Hospital in Chennai. Now, as Asia largest and most trusted healthcare group, its presence includes 8,488 beds across 51 Hospitals, 1,586 Pharmacies, 92 Primary Care and Diagnostic Clinics, 100 Telemedicine units across 10 countries. Health Insurance services, Global Projects Consultancy, 15 colleges of Nursing and Hospital Management and a Research Foundation with a focus on global Clinical Trials, epidemiological studies, stem cell & genetic research and the first Proton Therapy Center across Asia, Africa and Australia.

In a rare honor, the Government of India issued a commemorative stamp in recognition of Apollo's contribution, the first for a healthcare organization. Apollo Hospitals Chairman, Dr. Prathap C Reddy, was conferred with the prestigious Padma Vibhushan in 2010. For more than 28 years, the Apollo

Hospitals Group has continuously excelled and maintained leadership in medical innovation, world-class clinical services and cutting-edge technology. Our hospitals are consistently ranked amongst the best hospitals globally for advanced medical services and research.