Cochlear implant surgery was successfully performed for the first time at PSG Hospital on a woman from Malaysia.

The patient, 55-year-old Saroja, lost her hearing after a severe bout of brain fever. She was admitted to the PSG Hospital a few weeks back for treatment. The doctors who diagnosed her decided to do a cochlear implant in her inner ear to improve her hearing.

The surgery was performed Dr R Anand and George Zackaria of the ENT department. The patient has recovered well after the operation and her hearing has improved. The implant will start effectively functioning after 3 weeks.

Talking to the media about the surgery, Dr. Anand explained that cochlear implant in the inner ear is normally done for those with very poor hearing and for patients whose hearing could not be improved by external hearing aid.

In India, around 63 million people suffer from hearing loss. Since this implant helps children born with hearing defect to hear, and thereby learn to speak, it is considered to be one of the greatest medical inventions of the 20th century.