Ghana has less than 5 hearing assessment centres – Audiologists bemoan

Audiologists in Ghana have bemoaned the inadequate number of hearing assessment centres in the country.

Across the country, there are less than five fully equipped centres for assessing hearing loss and ear related medical conditions.

These concerns were brought to the fore when the Audiology Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and the Suntreso Ear and Throat Unit mounted stands at the Suntreso Hospital to screen ears for free.

It formed part of activities to mark world hearing day which was commemorated under the theme “Check Your Hearing”.

Globally, over 5 per cent of the world’s population constituting about 466 million people have disabling hearing loss. Out of this number 34 million are children

It is further estimated that by 2050 over 900 million people – or one in every ten people – will have disabling hearing loss.

Speaking to Ultimate News’ Ivan Heathcote – Fumador, Audiologist Joyce Esinam Anomah expressed concern that Ghana has paid little attention to setting up hearing assessment centres where people can easily visit for help.

“Currently in the country, we have an assessment centre in Kumasi, we have another at Korle – Bu and I have also heard of one in the Volta Region. In the whole country, that is what readily comes to mind so where people can go to assess whether they are experiencing hearing loss, we don’t have enough of those facilities,” she bemoaned.

Joyce Esinam also called for urgent state sponsored social support systems to help people with hearing loss, acquire hearing aids which she indicates are expensive and out of the reach of poor homes.

Outlining a number of measures that the public can adopt to preserve their hearing, Joyce Esinam Anomah highly recommended that people visit the audiologist at least once a year and stay away from loud music and poking their ears with foreign materials.

Most of the people who took advantage of the screening exercise admitted they were doing so for the first time in their lives.

By: Ghana/Ultimatefmonline.com/106.9FM/Ivan Heathcote – Fumador/Mary Akosua Atakora

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