The Society to Aid the Hearing Impaired (SAHI), in association with Apollo Hospitals and Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, is taking up a 'Deaf Free Telangana' project.

The aim of this programme is to create awareness among the common public about the disorders causing deafness and to conduct camps to provide screening test to the public. With this, SAHI and Apollo hospitals are aiming to make Telangana deaf free.

Dr E CVinay Kumar, Head, Dept. of ENT, Apollo Health City and Secretary, SAHI, addressing media at a Press Conference at Apollo Health City, Jubilee Hills, said the first screening camp will be organised on the 19th of October at Chevella town as the first step towards creating a deaf free Telangana.

India has approximately 750,000, i.e., 5 per cent of the total population with hearing problems. About 40,000 of these individuals are hearing impaired from birth, or acquire hearing loss during early childhood. If left untreated in the first 3-5 years of life, these children end up remaining hearing and speech challenged throughout their lives.

SAHI is celebrating its 10th anniversary by initiating this ambitious programme of ‘Deaf Free Telangana’ project by adopting Chevella parliament constituency. The aim is to make Chevella town a completely deaf free zone in the next two years. As part of the project, intensive public awareness programmes, regular camps for children below the age of 15 years, distribution of hearing aids and corrective surgical procedures for the hearing impaired will be undertaken extensively. This programme will be implemented with the help of Apollo Hospitals and Apollo Institute of Medical Sciences and Research. “Every single time you help someone stand up, you are helping humanity rise,” said, Dr. Steve Maraboli.

SAHI was formed in 2004 by a group of ENT surgeons, audiologists, and hospital management. 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.