Mumbai: Children born in civic hospitals to soon be screened for deafness

BMC has called for tenders to appoint agency for tests; aim is to treat birth defects at early age

The BMC has decided to screen every child born in a civic hospital for deafness. It will soon appoint an agency to do the tests for the same.

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Approximately 70,000 children are born every year in civic-run hospitals. “The BMC wants to screen each of these children from 24 hours to 48 hours after birth. We have invited a tender to appoint an agency to do the screenings,” said a BMC official. Currently the BMC has no data on  children born with hearing defects.

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Former Congress corporator Sangeeta Handore had tabled a notice of motion regarding the screenings, which was passed in November 2017. The BMC has started working on this proposal after five years. “It will take a few months to start these screenings in civic-run hospitals. The BMC will start in its 47 hospitals, and maternity homes including KEM, Nair and Sion hospitals and Wadia which is a private hospital,” the BMC official added. 

“The Otoacoustic Emission Test (OAE) and Automated Auditory Brainstem Response System (AABRS) will help us identify a child who is deaf. If we identify birth defects it will help treat a child at an early age. Within six months, the child will get a hearing aid which will help in his/her overall development,” said Dr Neelam Andrade, director of Medical Services and Education, BMC. After a child is diagnosed with deafness or a hearing issue, the BMC will help with hearing aids or any other treatment.

“If a hearing aid can’t help a child, after some years there is an option of a cochlear implant. Generally, at least 3 to 4 per cent of children have hearing problem. We will keep a record of every child. Also, we will ask parents to keep doing follow-ups of tests,” Dr Andrade added. 

An official said the BMC will help get the cochlear implant surgery paid for with the help of NGOs.

Archita Jadhav, teacher at the Bombay Institute for Deaf and Mute, welcomed BMC’s move. “This will help the development of the child. A child learns language within the first five years after birth. After 5 years, there are limitations to increasing the speaking ability even after being given speech therapy. If the child is treated early for deafness, it will be beneficial for language learning, which will help him/her in education and also in overall personality development,” Jadhav said.

Health activist Dr Abhijeet More, however, said, “It is not necessary to test every child. But a child with symptoms of hearing defect should be tested, not only in civic-run hospitals but in every hospital. There is no need to have such machines in all hospitals. If there is such a machine in a certain zone, it can be used for all the hospitals there.”

70k
Approx no. of children born in civic-run hospitals every year

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