Nanavati Max Hospital Introduces ‘Max Suno’ for Cochlear Implants & Hearing Rehabilitation

Mumbai: Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital today announced launch of ‘Max Suno’, a dedicated cochlear implant and hearing rehabilitation programme aimed at advancing early detection, precision surgery and long-term auditory-verbal therapy for children and adults with severe to profound hearing loss.

The programme is led by Dr Sanjiv Badhwar, Senior Director – ENT and Program Head (Cochlear Implants & ENT Robotic Surgery), whose team has completed more than 400 successful cochlear implant surgeries across patients aged six months to 80 years.

The initiative brings together advanced diagnostics, high-precision surgical techniques, structured rehabilitation pathways and outcomes aligned to global standards, establishing Nanavati Max as a specialised centre for comprehensive hearing restoration.

“Hearing loss in infants and young children is often diagnosed late in India, or following a severe ear infection, by which time speech and cognitive development may already be compromised,” said Dr Badhwar.

“Cochlear implants—now the standard of care in major centres worldwide—offer children and adults a meaningful opportunity to hear, speak and participate fully in school, work and society. With Max Suno, we have developed a robust, outcomes-driven programme that integrates surgery and rehabilitation under one framework.”

Globally, over 430 million people live with disabling hearing loss, according to the World Health Organisation, with a significant proportion comprising children under 10. India’s burden remains high, making early access to implantable hearing solutions critical.

Early beneficiaries of Max Suno include four-year-old Alok Chaudhari, diagnosed with bilateral sensorineural hearing loss following a pneumonia episode in infancy. His father, Ashok, recalls recognising his son’s first response to sound after implant activation at Nanavati Max Hospital as “the beginning of a new life.”

Another case, eight-year-old Shubham Bharadwaj from Mumbai, born with Single-Sided Deafness, experienced difficulty with sound localisation and speech comprehension in noise.

Post-implantation, he now responds consistently to sound, with his mother expressing confidence that he can pursue mainstream learning and future career aspirations. “We are extremely grateful towards Dr Badhwar and Nanavati Max team,” said his mother, Kavita.

Commenting on the launch, Dr Vivek Talaulikar, Director & Chief Operating Officer (Western Region), Max Healthcare, said, “Max Suno underscores Max Healthcare’s commitment to specialised, evidence-based programmes, highly focused on clinical excellence, to improve patient outcomes.

By combining experienced surgeons, modern implant technology and long-term rehabilitation support, we aim to make high-quality hearing restoration accessible to families across India and neighbouring regions.”

In addition to cochlear implants, Nanavati Max’s ENT, Head & Neck services offer a comprehensive range of advanced procedures, including robotic head and neck surgery, anterior skull base surgery, sleep apnoea surgery, balloon sinuplasty, laryngology and laryngeal framework surgery, management of thyroid and salivary gland tumours, transoral laser surgery for laryngeal cancers, and specialised paediatric ENT care.