Partnership Advances Hearing Care Accessibility in Uganda
Kampala, March 2, 2024 – In a remarkable celebration of World Hearing Day, Kampala Audiology and Speech Centre (KASC) joined forces with C-Care Hospital to conduct their 34th cochlear implant surgery. The event, held at C-Care Hospital, highlighted the partnership’s commitment to enhancing hearing care accessibility in Uganda.
During the press briefing, Mrs. Fiona Kamya, a senior audiologist at Kampala Audiology and Speech Centre, expressed gratitude to C-Care Hospital for providing a vital platform for surgeries. She also acknowledged MEDel for their crucial role in facilitating the manufacture of cochlear implants and other assistive hearing devices.
The cochlear implant journey involves a collaborative effort from a multidisciplinary team, including audiologists, ENT surgeons, speech and language therapists, and cochlear implant manufacturers. Mrs. Kamya emphasized the significance of each professional group in providing comprehensive care to individuals with hearing loss.
The partnership’s impact extends beyond medical assistance. Mrs. Kamya highlighted that the provision of space and infrastructure by C-Care Hospital has eliminated the need for patients to travel abroad for cochlear implant services. This development has made such services more affordable and accessible to the local population.
Mrs. Kamya, addressing parents at the meeting, urged them to prioritize their children’s hearing by screening at birth, before adolescence, and again at the age of 21 to establish adult baseline hearing levels. Additionally, she encouraged adults above the age of 45 to schedule annual hearing assessments.
Dr. Thomas Rasse, Lead ENT Surgeon from HNO, Austria, expressed joy at contributing to the local ENT surgeons’ training during the event. He commended the local team’s skills and hoped that the initiative would enable many children to hear and lead normal, happy lives.
World Hearing Day, observed on March 3 every year, serves as a global platform to raise awareness and take actions toward preventing hearing loss and improving hearing care.
Highlighting the global scope of the issue, statistics from the World Health Organization predict that by 2050, around 700 million people will experience hearing impairment. In Uganda, hearing impairment affects approximately 1.2% of children under 3 months.
The cochlear implant surgery in Uganda represents a crucial milestone in the nation’s effort to address hearing impairment independently. The partnership between KASC, MEDeL, and C-Care Hospital exemplifies a positive shift in making hearing care more accessible to the local population.