Bathinda, July 10 -- In a first-of-its-kind procedure at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda, a bilateral cochlear implantation was successfully performed using the latest generation of smart cochlear implants. The ENT department performed the implant surgery on a five-year-old child from Punjab on Monday, with the family footing the Rs.35-lakh expenditure. AIIMS executive director Dr Ratan Gupta said, "AIIMS started the cochlear implantation facility in May and 10 children have been benefitted from it ever since. In these cases, regular implants, costing around Rs.5-7 lakh, were provided for free under various schemes of the Centre and the Punjab government. 1 implant was funded by Bathinda MP from the local area development fund," said Gupta....