February 8, 2002

    The Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. C.P. Thakur, said that hearing impairment should be diagnosed as early in life as possible so that remedial process could take full advantage of the plasticity of the developing sensory system. Inaugurating the three-day National Convention of Indian Speech and Hearing Association here today, Dr. Thakur emphasized the need for reaching the rural children for detecting the disability, as the rural parent usually did not understand the disability of the child till it was too late. He said that voluntary organizations had an important role in detecting and hearing impairment and helping them with good diagnostic, therapeutic and educational aids.

    Dr. Thakur said that hearing loss occurred as a result of multiple factors such as genetic, congenital, infections, trauma, noise pollution and ageing. Noise exposure was a significant cause of hearing loss in developing countries. Until better hygienic conditions, greater awareness of ototoxicity among physicians and more public education in genetics and noise control were achieved, the number of hearing impaired people would continue to increase in developing countries, he added.

    According to WHO estimates, out of the world's 120 million people having hearing difficulties, more than 80 per cent lived in the developing countries. Approximately 4.5 million in India have some kind of hearing or speech impairment. There are more than 200 speech and hearing centres in India, well equipped with the latest equipment for audiometric and speech evaluations. Audiometers and other assistive devices for the rehabilitation of the speech and hearing impaired are now being manufactured in India.