Bathinda: AIIMS Bathinda has strengthened its advanced hearing care programme by successfully performing 10 cochlear implant surgeries over the past two months, with the majority of procedures provided free of cost through various government health schemes and MPLADS support. The milestone highlights the institute's expanding capabilities in managing severe hearing loss through advanced surgical interventions.

The programme also achieved a significant milestone with the successful first bilateral implantation of the Nucleus® NEXA™ Cochlear Implant System, making AIIMS Bathinda the first AIIMS in the region to perform bilateral implantation using the advanced cochlear implant technology. Bilateral cochlear implantation is recommended for selected patients with profound hearing loss, enabling improved sound localisation, speech recognition, and overall hearing outcomes compared to a single implant.

Prof. (Dr.) Rajiv Kumar, Medical Superintendent, also highlighted the institute’s remarkable achievements of 100 corneal transplants under the guidance of Prof. (Dr.) Anuradha Raj and 10 renal transplants under the guidance of Prof. (Dr.) Kawaljit Singh Kaura, reflecting AIIMS Bathinda’s continued excellence in advanced patient care.

The cochlear implant programme, established under the mentorship of Prof. (Dr.) Ashok Kumar, is being led by the Department of ENT under Dr. Vaibhav Saini, along with Dr. Vikasdeep Gupta, Dr. Nikhil Rajan, and Dr. Ankur Mohan, providing comprehensive cochlear implant care from evaluation to rehabilitation.

The recent milestones reflect AIIMS Bathinda's continued efforts to expand access to specialised tertiary care services and advanced surgical procedures, particularly for patients who benefit from government-supported healthcare programmes.