Doc designs Rs 50 device to give patients their lost voice

Throat cancer patients who have lost their voice can look forward to speaking again, without having to shell out thousands on an artificial voice box.

A city-based oncologist has invented a voice prosthesis priced at just Rs 50. The device weighs just about 25 grams and is seen as a boon for the poor. “Speaking is a right. When the voice box of patients is removed during surgery , they crave to speak. As if the trauma of the disease is not enough, the shock of having lost their voice takes a toll on them, emotionally. The prosthesis available in the market costs Rs 20,000 (to be changed once in six months) and is not viable for many poor patients. My objective was to design something that is affordable and can give them their voice back,” said Dr Vishal Rao, oncologist and head and neck surgeon, HCG Cancer Care.

The device has been aptly named Aum voice prosthesis. “We decided to term it Aum, as that is the sound which first resonated across the universe. Regaining one’s voice is so much like a rebirth,” said Rao. He took the help of his friend Shashank Mahesh, an industrialist, to deal with the financial aspect of the project. Though it costs Rs 50, they called it the $1voice box to make it match international standards. Read More…