A cochlear implant surgery performed on a four-year-old in the Sultanate of Oman is the first such surgery ever performed in the country’s private sector healthcare, according to the hospital authorities. The achievement was announced in a ceremony attended by Her Highness Sayyida Meyyan bint Shihab al Said, Dr Hilal al Sabti, Minister of Health, and officials last week.
Besides the announcement, a hearing awareness initiative has been launched in the presence of HH Sayyida Dr Mona bint Fahd al Said and HH Sayyida Hujaija bint Jaffer al Said.
The WHO reports suggest that by 2050 about 2.5 billion people are expected to suffer from hearing loss, and early detection of hearing impediments and intervention can create a better life for these individuals. Timely access and improvement in quality of life lead to a productive life contributing to society. An effective intervention for hearing loss is systematic screening.
By and large, hearing disabilities can be caused by genetic factors, malnutrition during motherhood, recurrent ear infections, lack of immunization, and continuous exposure to high noise.
“We are the pioneers in patient education initiatives, and hearing awareness is one such initiative which is very important for the community and it is our prime duty as a healthcare provider to spread awareness on the causes and prevention of diseases,” said Dr Deep Makkar, General Manager and Country head of NMC Healthcare in Oman, adding, prevention of hearing loss can be done through strategies to avoid causative factors; however, rehabilitation is equally important for who are already suffering from hearing loss.
Assistive technologies like hearing aids can help people with mild to moderate hearing loss, whereas Cochlear Implants are the best options for profound hearing loss in children as well as adults. Unaddressed hearing loss is expensive to communities and governments and can cost up to $980 bn annually worldwide.
