Karnataka has relaunched its free cochlear implant scheme under the name Alisu Kanda, setting a target of 200 implants for children with severe to profound hearing impairment during the 2026-27 financial year and adding financial support for post-surgery therapy.
The programme, which aims to improve access to cochlear implantation and support early speech and language development, was relaunched by the state health department on Thursday. The government said it also seeks to improve communication, education and social inclusion for children with hearing impairment.
Health minister UT Khader said 75 of the 200 cochlear implant surgeries targeted for the current financial year had already been completed at empanelled centres. The government plans to procure another 125 implants within the next three months and supply them to empanelled hospitals according to beneficiary requirements and patient needs.
The scheme was first launched in 2016 as the Shravana dosha muktha Karnataka campaign. According to the health department, the programme has provided 650 cochlear implants to children in need so far. Khader separately said 575 cochlear implant surgeries had been performed up to the end of the 2025-26 financial year.
The renewed programme extends support beyond the operation itself. The government will provide Rs 50,000 to cover six months of therapy after surgery, while parents accompanying children to therapy will receive Rs 500 per week. The assistance is intended to address the rehabilitation period that follows implantation, when children require sustained therapy to develop speech and language skills.
Implementation will be overseen by a vision committee headed by senior cochlear implant surgeon Dr Vasanthi Anand. The committee has been formed to support the effective execution of the programme, including the delivery of implants through empanelled centres and the associated therapy assistance.
The announcement places empanelled hospitals at the centre of Karnataka’s delivery model. Procurement will be linked to beneficiary requirements, while surgeries and rehabilitation support will be coordinated through the participating centres. The structure makes access dependent not only on the availability of implants but also on the state’s ability to connect eligible children with surgery and follow-up therapy.
The health department’s announcement also included a separate decision on organ transplantation. The government plans to form an organ transplant visionary committee headed by Dr Nagesh NS, director of the Institute of Gastroenterology Sciences & Organ Transplant. The committee will focus on awareness around deceased-donor transplants, brain-death certification and organ retrieval at district hospitals and government medical colleges.
It will also examine the expansion of transplant facilities, the launch of allocation and tracking software, and the renewal of lapsed transplant-centre registrations. The cochlear implant programme and the transplant initiative were discussed during a review of state health programmes held on Thursday.
