Nandi county government has received Audiology equipment worth Sh10 million from Children’s Speech and Hearing Loss Organisation (CHISHLO)
The three sets of machines which include the ABR machine, Tympanometer, Audiometer, Visual Reinforcement Audiometer among others will help in providing comprehensive hearing-loss screening and testing services through early diagnosis and prevention
Speaking at the County headquarters, CHISHLO National Programme’s Coordinator Mr Stephen Kittur revealed that ABR machine provide a service called Bera and Bera is only available at Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH)
“I have been informed by the Ministry of Health that the one at KNH has broken down. They were asking if the Nandi programme is already on so that they can refer all the patients here,” he said
The Programme’s coordinator said as an organisation, they do identify children with hearing loss as young as one day old adding that the equipment are supposed to test the out ear, the middle ear and inner ear
“We want to make Kapsabet County Referral hospital as the first public hospital in the Country after KNH to offer early childhood hearing screening, identification and intervention. A child who is born today in Nandi County can be screened for hearing loss even soon after birth. We want those children to be screened,” he said.
Kittur noted that in the developed world, hearing loss is going down, “in fact they are closing deaf schools, and apparently in our Country we are opening more deaf schools.”
He said they did some screening last year in the county and identified several children who need support for hearing loss
The coordinator urged community health promoters to go in every home and ask parents if their children have been screened for hearing loss adding that,” if we identify them today, am sure in the next 10-15 years, we will have fewer hearing loss cases.”
Nandi Governor Stephen Sang thanked CHISHLO for their continued support towards elimination of hearing impairment in Nandi.
Sang stated that the machines will help in early detection, accurate diagnosis and treatment for individuals with hearing difficulties.
“Early detection of hearing loss and appropriate management in children leads to better speech and language,” he said.
By Linet Wafula
