Andheri hospital’s new ear celebrations

Charge just Rs 100 to fix artificial lobes for kids born without them; same surgery at civic hospital costs Rs 8,000

   Born without his right ear, nine-yearold resident of Govandi, Samarth Shaikh, issued an ultimatum to his mother one fine day. "My classmates tease me because of my missing ear," the boy told his mother, Kulsum. 

    Born with this congenital defect, it's not like Samarth was deaf. His hearing ability was up to 60 per cent. Statistically, this congenital defect is seen in one among every 8,000 births, say medical experts. 
    Now, Samarth will be able to return to school without being ribbed by his classmates. Thanks to doctors at BSES Hospital in Andheri (West) who operated on the boy to flesh out an ear. The doctors have developed a unique natural implant for people born without one or both ears. The surgical procedure involved taking part of Samarth's rib and skin for the new ear. Now, although his hearing capacity remains the same, one look at Samarth and it would be hard to spot any difference between his ears, both of which look quite natural. So far, the hospital has operated upon 10 such cases. 
    And the operation for the boy, who hails from a low income group family, cost rupees one hundred. 
    The condition, called microtia, is not lifethreatening, and the child can lead a normal life even without surgery. 
    The surgery for such patients, which would otherwise cost at least Rs 2 lakh, is subsidised by non-profit organisation Swiss Foundation, which caters to cleft surgeries of economically underprivileged children. 
    "He would often ask me why he was made to look like an alien, and I had no answer to that," said Kulsum. "I had to scout for solutions when he refused to attend school as other children used to laugh at him." Kulsum was grateful to doctors at the hospital thanks to whom her son now dons a more natural look. 
    Dr Rajesh Valand, the surgeon from the hospital's ear, nose and throat department who operated upon Samarth, said, "People tend to think that a person who does not have an ear is deaf. However, in most such cases, such patients have hearing ability of up to almost 60 per cent. The surgery to implant an ear is just so that the person does not look any different from others." 
    Dr Valand said he had come across many such instances of children who simply stop attending school as they become the butt of all jokes. It causes social inhibition, preventing the patient from mixing up with peers because of the deformity. 
    Cleft surgeon at the hospital Parit Ladani said the surgery can be performed only after the child turns six . "That's the age by which the human ear is fully developed and does not grow any further. In case of patients who have neither ear, we structure the dimensions of the ears in keeping with facial features." 
    Senior plastic surgeon at the civic-run Nair hospital, Dr Baliyar Singh, said, "It's good to hear that some private hospital is catering to needy patients. The surgery is very expensive although at civic hospitals we charge up to Rs 8,000." 
SURGICAL PROCEDURE 
» Framework of missing ear is made. 
» Later, a part of five ribs (sixth to tenth rib) are used to flesh out a ear-like structure. Humans have 24 ribs in all. 
» An incision is made around the flat skin where the ear should have been there. 
» Surgically, the ear-like structure is implanted into the incision. 
» The structure is made to resemble a natural ear. 
OCCURRENCE OF MICROTIA 
» Microtia typically occurs in one ear, but can also affect both. 
» While most kids born with microtia are normal in all other respects, some have other health conditions including defects of the face and head. 
» Microtia can be, but is not always, a hereditary condition.

Nine-year-old Samarth Shaikh, who had stopped attending school, was operated on Thursday