Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has charged medical authorities in the country to ensure the provision of adequate diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitative services in hospitals across the country, in order to reduce the number of Nigerians with hearing disabilities.
She also spoke of the need for the populace to be informed about the availability of such services as, according to her, loss of hearing does not signify an end to life because interventions on hearing loss are available and are cost-effective.
Mrs Buhari spoke on Tuesday at an event organised to mark World Hearing Day by the State House Clinic, Abuja.
She said, “The populace must be encouraged to prevent themselves by going for regular screening, and rehabilitating themselves through hearing devices.”
Speaking this year’s event themed, “Acting for Hearing Loss: Make a Sound Investment”, Mrs Buhari, who was represented by wife of the Governor Nasarawa State Mrs Mairo Tanko Almakura, drew attention to the fact that taking action was an investment, “because hearing loss has economic repercussions, as well as significant impact on the lives of those affected.”
Earlier, Prof. OGB Nwaorgu, President of the Oto–Rhino–Laryngological Society of Nigeria (ORLSON), umbrella organisation for Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) specialists, advocated that Neonatal Hearing screening should be made mandatory in all health facilities to ensure that babies with hearing loss or predisposed to hearing loss were identified early.
He also identified noise as an increasing source of hearing loss, citing chronic exposure to moderate sounds as very dangerous to the ear.
Professor Nwaorgu therefore called for regulation on noise emission, control and abatement, to preserve and maintain public health even as he specifically cited noise as originating from industrial, commercial, domestic, sport, recreational, transportation or similar activities.
In attendance were by representative of Minister of Health and Chief Medical Director National Hospital, Dr. Jack Momoh, Permanent Secretary, State House, Mr. Jalal Arabi, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina and Emir of Borgu, among others.
