My Son's Story

                                                    

Today's topic and so we all need to understand. The most important thing to me is what is a cochlear implant. What is this First of all we must know about what is cochlear implant then we will come to my story which I faced it very patiently. 

Well Tens of thousands of people around the world have hearing loss, and many of them use hearing aids. However, hearing loss with high hearing loss is limited by hearing aids.

That's why tens of thousands of people around the world are considering cochlear implants for use in hearing recovery.

What is a cochlear implant system?

The cochlear implant is the most advanced medical device, and it is the only technology that can be recovered.

Cochlear implants are the most effective devices to replace hearing aids, but they are the most effective hearing recovery technology that transmits electrical signals by replacing the damaged inner ear rather than simply amplifying sound

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Composition of the cochlear implant system

The cochlear implant is largely divided into two parts. It is divided into an implant implanted inside and a speech processor that accepts and processes sound from the ear.

Our Country Situation

Our country Pakistan is poor and this implantation very expensive so almost major families can’t afford it, some afford it,8:2 ratio so the question is what the poor families do, the answer is Govt policy about implant

Cochlear Implant Policy-Pakistan Bait-ul-Mall

 According to our Govt policy Poor and Deserving, in the process of a cochlear implant can register with Pakistan Bait ul Mal by using link /Performa. The application will be further submitted to the Medical Board for consideration and proceeding. If accepted and approved then the official from PBM will contact you accordingly.

So here the story is you are not the only one to apply thousands and thousands of people in this program for there child cochlear implantation because its fully free Govt funded. Child age for implantation is 5 years and the best age is 3 years means implantation should be done before 5 years after that there is risk minimum success but when you apply through PBM mark your presence in the list, you will be than shocked that your child number for surgery date will come after 2 or 3 years due to massive rush of families registration. Some private hospitals also fund but the problem there also the same.

Story

My son was nine months old when her mother told me that he doesn’t respond first I didn’t take it seriously because a child at that age doesn’t respond properly but when I observed him I knew something is wrong with him. I take him to Peshawar’s top ENT specialists, every one gives me the same answer “Cochlear Implantation is necessary he is not hearing at all”. Make different tests ABR, BRE to find whether he is not hearing? we also visit Lahore for these kinds of tests to ensure that our child hearing capability is normal but the answer was ……Yes he is not hearing at all.

As we know that it is expensive so we have two options one makes registration wait for two or three years or does it privately, we choose second options. We decided to go forward sale some of my property gathered the amount for implantation that is 1.6 million PKR. Why it is so expensive I will come on this later on.

Problem here in Peshawar is that there all some good hospitals beautiful buildings structure but lack of expertise and experience. Before implantation of a child some tests should be completed ie., ABR, BRE, all blood tests, temporal bone CT, temporal bone MRI. We visited Peshawar’s two well-known hospitals to get information about MRI AND CT, both hospitals offer CT temporal bone, after receiving child CT reports then comes MRI. All Hospitals hesitate to do it I was very surprised because thy comment that your son is too young for it What seriously?...., I met all MRI experts in various hospitals but the answer was no. Digging after digging and searching I finally found a hospital where MRI temporal bone. My son Cochlear implant at last done in CMH Rawalpindi.

Son's Cochlear Device in the Picture

Who Conduct Implants

Here there are several doctors group who conduct majority implant surgeries. Every audiologist, speech therapist, and ENT specialist here in Peshawar, in Rawalpindi, Islamabad Lahore, and many other cities know these doctors, they have links everywhere. This doctor’s` group is very strong and has a monopoly over the Cochlear field, they main functioned from Lahore Office. I have an experience with my son surgery implant + device was 1.8m and the same implant of another child was 1.8, so they have different rates for different patients. Why they are doing this because there is no regional office of companies like Cochlear or Medel and many others. In Pakistan if you buying a Cochlear device will be purchased from other countries, which will be expensive due to import tax and many other taxes. If these companies have their offices here so their products were much cheaper than now’s price tags of Cochlear devices like in India products are so so much cheaper because of these companies regional offices. The Government should take notice of it.

Middle Man

 As I said earlier I visit their office in Lahore I met a man well dressed sitting in his room, a lot of files and records of patients everywhere on his desk. First I thought he was a doctor “in fact for many months I assumed” but soon I knew and realized that he was a middle man(Dalal). He guides patients, en role them to the whole process, and negotiates the rates.

Tip

Patient’s father mother or family who haven’t done Cochlear implant of their child yet there is hundred percent chance that you will meet this middle man guy so when you met him you should not and never show your actual situation means if you have an average financial situation express to him that you are poor, weak and my situation does not allow me to pay that much cost. In return in my opinion he will slightly reduce some amount but you have to insists continuously that well works.

Conclusion

Well after implant my son recovers fast, after wearing a device since that day he showing progress. He learns words well speak it properly and Insha Allah when he will be school going age he will listen and speak properly like a normal child.