Kerala's 'Sruthitharangam' scheme beneficiaries' cries falling on deaf ears

At least 300 of the 1,400 odd beneficiaries of 'Sruthitharangam' scheme are still struggling to maintain the devices, even as the authorities concerned say that the backlog is being cleared swiftly.

Thiruvananthapuram: Thrissur native Priya (name changed) couldn't go to school so far this academic year as her hearing device is malfunctioning. Though her parents approached the authorities of the Kerala government's 'Sruthitharangam' scheme for cochlear implant for children from weak backgrounds, Priya's plea is still pending. 

Like Priya, many children, who benefited from 'Sruthitharangam' scheme initiated by former Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, are still struggling owing to lapses in timely assistance for maintenance of the hearing devices. It was one of the last wishes of Chandy not to push back the children to deafness after assisting them to the world of sounds.

However, at least 300 of the 1,400 odd beneficiaries of the scheme are still struggling to maintain the devices, even as the authorities concerned say that the backlog is being cleared swiftly.

"My daughter is in tenth-standard. But she is unable to go to school as her hearing aid malfunctioned in April. We approached the government agencies concerned. We did not get any relief and that pushed us to approach the company directly. But they cited pending payments from the government as a reason for delay in getting the device repaired. My husband, who is a street vendor in Kozhikode, approached Congress MP M K Raghavan and he arranged a sponsorship for a new device. We hope to get it soon," Priya's mother told DH.

Cochlear Implantees Association and Charitable Society president Navas Idathinnayil said that it was not a one off case. Around 300 children are facing issues with maintenance and upgradation of the device. The beneficiaries were allotted only Rs 50,000 by the local self government institution, whereas the maintenance expense of a particular company's device is much higher.

While the social justice department was so far handling the 'Sruthitharangam' scheme, it was handed over to the State Health Agency (SHA) under the health department last year for better coordination with the hospitals.

A SHA official concerned with the scheme said that apart from initial hiccups owing to the transfer of the scheme from one agency to other, it is getting back on track. Of the over 700 applications for maintenance and upgradations received so far, over 500 were already cleared. Around 75 fresh cochlear implants were also carried out in the last few months, the official added.

Frequent requests from parents of children with hearing loss seeking assistance for cochlear implants prompted Chandy to initiate the scheme in 2012 when he was the chief minister.

A few weeks ahead of his death in last July, Chandy expressed concerns in a social media post that many beneficiaries of the 'Sruthitharangam' scheme, who started dreaming of a new world after they were provided with the hearing aid made to suffer again as they were not getting financial assistance to repair the worn-out implants.