Soon, throat cancer patients in Mumbai can regain their voices for as little as Rs 50. A special silicon voice prosthesis, which would currently cost a patient between Rs 15,000 and Rs 30,000, will now be made available for all at only Rs 50 thanks to an invention by Dr Vishal Rao, a
Bangalore-based oncologist from HCG Hospital. Talking to The Asian Age from Bangalore, Dr Rao said, “Within the coming months, the prosthesis will be available across India. It is going through the final step of clinical study, and soon it will be made available at regional cancer centres. We are going to unveil it in Mumbai on January 12.”
Dr Rao is a head and neck surgeon who receives hundreds of throat cancer patients every month. And in most of the cases, after the operation, patients lose their voice and do not speak again. It also affects the swallowing process. This prosthesis, however, will help such patients to talk and lead a normal life, the doctor has said.
Most throat cancer patients who undergo laryngectomy — a surgery that involves removing of the larynx and separation of the airway from the mouth, nose and esophagus — lose their ability to speak. The patients eat through their mouths, but cannot breathe through their nose. They, instead, breathe from a hole in their neck.
“This device uses the food pipe, which functions like a voice box. The box vibrates with the help of air produced from the lungs. The food pipe is made to vibrate with the back end of the prosthesis at the food pipe,” he added.
However, the initiative also has a second stage. Currently, patients who get operated upon generally opt for the prosthesis with it. So, the surgical cost of the prosthetic comes to only Rs 50. But those who get operated later have to invest between Rs 8,000 and Rs 20,000. So, the doctor and his team are trying to develop another simpler process that would cost patients only Rs 3,000.
“I consider speaking a right of the people. Throat cancer is most common among poor people due to their tobacco consumption. They fail to opt for the surgery to get back their voice due to the expense. So, I invented this device that will soon give a voice to thousands of voiceless cancer patients not only in Mumbai but across the country,” he added.
