LAHORE PUNJAB Minister for Social Welfare Syed Haroon Ahmed Sultan Bokhari has said the government is taking practical steps to make special persons part of active society and special attention is being given to education and training of deaf children.
Addressing a seminar organised at University of Health Sciences (UHS) by the Society for Audiological and Developmental Ailments (SADA) in connection with the World Ear Care Day (March 03) on Monday, the provincial minister assured the disabled that the government would extend full cooperation to NGOs and other institutions for their rehabilitation.
SADA’s president and consultant audiological physician, Services Hospital Lahore, Dr Afzal Alam said the prevalence of hearing loss in Pakistan was 7 to 8 per 1000 live births and this rate was increasing every year. He added that there were 300,000 deaf people in Pakistan.
He further said according to WHO estimates, around 300 million people worldwide had a disabling hearing impairment and this could increase to 900 million by 2025.
He explained that cousin marriages, infections during birth, lack of oxygenation at the time of birth, and poor access to the basic treatment needs of mother and child, were associated with hearing disorders of various forms.
Dr Afzal further said although majority of the people facing acute hearing loss problems could be treated completely through surgeries and medication after a proper and accurate diagnosis, still there was a need of greater awareness to save the people from disability by taking preventive steps. He said the market rate of the hearing aid varied widely from Rs 10,000 to Rs.30,000 which was out of reach of the majority of the people with hearing loss.
“Moreover, children or adults with very severe to profound hearing loss will be unable to hear well even with hearing aids. In such cases cochlear implant may benefit. However, these implants are very expensive and may cost Rs.1500000 to Rs.2200000”, Dr Afzal added that a large number of people had no option but to wait for helping hands. Dr Afzal noted that during the last 10 years that had been only 1000 cochlear implants in Pakistan whereas in United States there had been more than three lac implants in the last five to eight years.
Noted Islamic scholar and columnist Orya Maqbool Jan stressed the need for creating awareness among the people in order to understand the true sentiments and emotions of the deprived segment of society. He emphasised the need for strengthening the family as an institution calling it a causative and curative factor in our society.
University of Health Science Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Junaid Sarfraz Khan, King Edward Medical University’s Professor of ENT Dr Manzoor Basir Pal, chief audiologist Children Hospital Lahore Dr Fauzia Saeed, professor of developmental peadiatrics Children Hospital Lahore Dr Shazia Maqbool, noted social worker Sheikh Atta-ur-Rehman and parents of children with hearing loss also spoke. Later, an awareness walk was also held within the varsity campus in which a large number of students, doctors, special children and their parents participated.
No comments:
Post a Comment