Cochlear Implant at MP Shah Hospital

M.P Shah Hospital recently partnered with Cochlea Implant Group of Kenya (CIGOK) to perform cochlea implant surgeries on six patients, bringing treatment that has not been available in the country.

The cochlea implant team included four ENT surgeons, two audiologists, anesthetists and theatre staff who helped to transform lives of five children and an adult from severe hearing loss.

Cochlea implants are surgically implanted devices that provide sound signals to the brain of people with severe hearing loss in one or both ears. Unlike hearing aids which simply amplify sound, a cochlea implant bypasses the damaged cochlea cells and stimulates the hearing nerve through electrical signals.

The hearing loss that this corrective procedure addresses is in people who cannot hear even with the traditional hearing aids,” said Prof. Isaac Macharia who was part of the surgical team.

“There is an internal and external component to the implant, said ENT Surgeon Dr. Mujahid Din of Cochlea Implant Group. The internal component is an electrode which is implanted user the skin through drilling of a bone just behind the external ear. The electrode is attached to the external component of the device which looks like a hearing aid.”

Speaking on the theatre procedures which were conducted last Saturday and Sunday , the hospital Chief Operating Officer Mrs. Toseef Din noted that M.P. Shah Hospital had done the highest number of cochlea implants in the country, affirming its stature as a center of excellence in healthcare. She also noted that having the service available locally was a noble idea that saved patients from travelling abroad.

Cochlea implants were pioneered in 1970s but has remained rare in Kenya and Africa as a whole. As a result, patients have to travel abroad for assessment, to undergo surgery and to have their implants programmed – all of which require three to four trips and days away from home.

CIGOK began cochlea implants in the country four years ago, saving many patients from the financial and emotional turmoil that comes with hearing loss. The team has since conducted 36 procedures with 100% success rates. Patients are expected to wait up to six weeks before the cochlea implants are switched on to jumpstart the hearing process.

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