LAHORE: Proposing the establishment of a ‘Cochlear Implants Bank’ to fund the treatment of hearing-impaired children for which the seed money could be provided by the University of Health Sciences (UHS).
The UHS Vice-Chancellor Prof Javed Akram said this while addressing the inaugural session of an international conference on “Hearing and Speech” organised by the Society for Audiological and Developmental Ailments (SADA) in collaboration with UHS here on Thursday.
With the theme, to hear for life, listen with care, the ‘World Hearing Day 2022’ was marked at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) to highlight the importance and means of hearing loss prevention through safe listening.
Addressing the moot, Prof Javed Akram said that deafness could be prevented by marriage counselling and avoiding first-cousin marriages. “The people should avoid the use of cotton buds to remove wax in the ear as it could damage the eardrum,” he said, adding: “The use of oil and cleansing of ears by quacks or untrained people also could damage the tympanic membrane.”
Prof Javed Akram said that it was possible to have good hearing across the life course through ear and hearing care as many common causes of hearing loss could be prevented, including hearing loss caused by exposure to loud sounds. “Safe listening can mitigate the risk of hearing loss associated with recreational sound exposure,” he said.
The SADA President Dr Afzaal Alam, who is Consultant Audiologist, said that out of 1,000 newborn children 3-4 were affected by severe hearing loss, and in Pakistan, the number of hearing-impaired children was increasing. Most of the affected families belonged to low-income underprivileged groups, he said stressing the importance of parents’ positive response and efforts towards the rehabilitation of their children, he added.
Prof Dr Naveed Aslam, Head of ENT department, Sheikh Zayed Hospital, Lahore along with Prof Dr Imran Saeed, Head of ENT department, Children’s Hospital, Lahore shared experiences regarding the latest treatment of cochlear implantation.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022