10-05-2025
100 beneficiaries receive hearing aids under CMCHIS in Salem
Salem District Collector R. Brindha Devi distributed hearing aids to 100 beneficiaries under the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) in a function held at the Government Mohan Kumaramangalam Medical College Hospital (GMKMCH) on Saturday.
The beneficiaries received hearing aids worth ₹8,000 each at a total cost of ₹8 lakh.
Speaking at the function, Collector Brindha Devi said, 'Hearing impairment can affect anyone from children to the elderly. Nerve issues, accidents, age-related issues, and bacterial infections in the centre of the ears can cause hearing loss. Modernised equipment is used at the ENT Department of Salem GMKMCH to conduct hearing tests on children and elderly persons. For people with hearing issues, hearing aids worth ₹25,000 to ₹50,000 are provided under the CMCHIS free of cost,' Ms. Brindha Devi added.
The collector announced that 3,000 people received hearing aids through the CMCHIS program over the past three years. 'The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness (NPPCD) has been conducting screenings for children using modern equipment. If hearing issues are detected in children under the age of six, cochlear implant surgeries are performed under the CMCHIS. Additionally, the GMKMCH PET scan center has been established over the past four years with an investment of ₹12 crore for cancer treatment,' she added.
Explaining the services provided at the Secondary Care Hospital at Ammapet in Salem Corporation, Ms. Brindha Devi said that to provide medical services in nearby locations, a secondary care hospital was constructed at a cost of ₹43.65 crore in Ammapet. In the past four months, 6,500 patients availed various services in the hospital and nine surgeries were also performed, the collector added.
The Collector later provided 2,495 bed sheets to GMKMCH. Hospital Dean J. Devi Meenal, Superintendent R. Rajkumar, and officials from concerned departments participated in the function.
