Speech Pathology and Audiology

Initially from 1971 as a “Speech Therapy Unit” under the Department of Neurology, the services were rendered to patients with communication disorders. The then Director, Dr.G.N.Narayana Reddy and Dr.M.Gourie-Devi, Professor and Head of the Department of Neurology envisioned the importance for establishing a separate department catering to the communication needs of the individuals with neurological and psychiatric impairments and eventually accorded a separate departmental status in 1980 as Department of Speech Therapy, which was later re-designated as Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology to project its nature of function in the areas of Speech-Language pathology and Audiology.
Currently the department is located in the Ground Floor (G14) of the OPD block. This new premises was inaugurated by Sri. S.K.Srivastava, IAS, Addl. Secretary and Finance Adviser, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India, in the presence of Ms.Sujaya Krishnan, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India, on 20th June 2013.
The placement of the department in neurological-neurosurgical and psychiatric set-up has earned a unique position in the field of Speech and Hearing in the country. The department is equipped with latest technology for the diagnosis and management of communication disorders.
In the area of human resource development the department offers a doctoral course as well as impart clinical training to the undergraduate intern students of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology, skill development for speech and hearing professionals and post graduate students in ENT. The students are also encouraged to present scientific papers in conferences and are mentored to write scientific papers for publications. The faculty of the department are invited to conduct seminars, workshops, and continuing education programs, conferences at both national and international levels. This is a testimony for the experience that the department has accrued over the past several decades.