Sunday, June 24, 2007

Royal National Institute for the Deaf Makes the Case for Affordable Cochlear Implants

The Royal National Institute for the Deaf says that the high cost of cochlear implants is a major limiting factor in the number of people who have received benefits from these medical devices.

New research by RNID, the national charity representing 9 million deaf and hard of hearing people in the UK, shows that millions of deaf people in Europe and the United States are unable to gain access to technology that could help them hear because it is too expensive.
Dr Ralph Holme, Head of Biomedical Research at RNID, says: "There is a gap in the market for a medical device company to produce a low-cost implant by using more cost-efficient manufacturing practices. Our market research shows that such a device would enjoy considerable commercial success whilst benefiting people who may not have had access to it previously."

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