SRUTHITHARANGAM is a state government scheme that provides free cochlear implantation surgery and follow-up assistance, including ‘Surgical assistance for Cochlear Implantation’, ‘Auditory Verbal Habilitation Therapies (AVHT)’, ‘Maintenance of Spares and Accessories’, and ‘speech processor upgrades.’ The scheme began in 2012 under the Social Justice Department and was initially implemented by the Kerala Social Security Mission (KSSM). Later, as part of converging various publicly funded health financing programmes, the Government of Kerala has decided to implement the scheme by the State Health Agency, Kerala, from the year 2023-24.

The benefits of the scheme are applicable to resident beneficiaries of the State, excluding those belonging to families of Central/State Government employees and income tax payees. The age-specific eligibility criteria for different categories of assistance under the scheme are as follows:

• Cochlear Implantation Surgery: Preferably within 3 years of the beneficiary. However, special approval from the Technical Committee may extend eligibility up to 5 years. Cases of profound hearing loss due to post-meningitis injury will be considered without age restrictions, and post-lingual profound hearing loss cases above 5 years up to a specific age will also be considered, subject to the technical committee decision.
• Speech Processor Upgrade: Eligible up to 25 years of age.
• Maintenance of Spares & Accessories of the Processor: No age limit.

Maintenance and processor upgrade benefits under the scheme are extended to implantees who have undergone surgery through schemes other than Sruthitharangam, or through self-funding, crowd-funding, etc., subject to the eligibility criteria mentioned above.
The maintenance assistance under the scheme is provided every year with the financial support of concerned LSGIs (₹50,000/beneficiary/FY). For this, vide Government Circular നം. ഡിഎ1/284/284/2023-തസ്വഭവ dated. 09-11-2023, the concerned LSGI is required to provide the said amount to the concerned bank account of the State Health Agency.

A State Level Technical Committee (SLTC) constituted vide GO (Rt). No.1530/2023/H&FWD Dated 27.06.2023 for the implementation of Sruthitharangam Scheme is responsible for the scrutiny of the applications received under the scheme and provides necessary guidance for the scheme implementation. The committee convenes its meetings regularly, depending on the receipt of applications. The technical committee comprises the following members.

Sl.No.	Role	Offical
1	Convenor	Joint Director (Operations), State Health Agency, Kerala
2	Member	State Nodal Officer, Child Health, National Health Mission, Kerala
3	Expert Member	Member HoD, Asst. Professor of Audiology and Audiologist from the Dept. of ENT, Govt. Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram
4	Expert Member	HoD, Asst. Professor of Audiology and Audiologist from the Dept. of ENT, Govt. Medical College, Kottayam
5	Expert Member	HoD, Asst. Professor of Audiology and Audiologist from the Dept. of ENT, Govt. Medical College, Kozhikode
6	Expert Member	Dr. C John Panicker, Good Health ENT Centre, Thiruvananthapuram.
7	Expert Member	Dr. Manoj, Managing Director, Dr. Manoj’s ENT Super Specialty Institute & Research Centre, Kozhikkode
8	Expert Member	Audiologist, NISH Thiruvananthapuram

Beneficiaries can submit their applications for assistance under all three categories in the prescribed format through empanelled hospitals. These applications are then reviewed by the Technical Committee. Once approved, the applications are further processed by the empaneled hospitals in a cashless mode, and the matter of the technical committee decision will be informed to the beneficiary/applicant via a letter through the post. The claim process is managed through the online portal designed for the Arogyakiranam Scheme.

A state empanelment committee constituted vide G.O. (Rt)No.1580/2024/H&FWD dated 01.07.2024, which is responsible for the technical verifications and evaluations related to the empanelment of new hospitals under the scheme. The list of empanelled hospitals under the scheme is provided below.

Empanelled hospitals (for more details, pls click here)

Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram
Government Medical College, Kottayam
Government Medical College, Kozhikkode
Ascent Hospital, Perinthalmanna, Malappuram
Dr Manoj’s ENT Hospital, Kozhikkode
Dr Noushad’s ENT Hospital, Ernakulam
Medical Trust Hospital,Ernakulam
KIMS Health, Thiruvananthapuram
Baby Memorial Hospital Ltd, Kozhikkode
Amrita Institute of Medical sciences and Research centre, Ernakulam
National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH), Thiruvananthapuram (Audio Verbal Therapy)