The State government will soon establish Early Diagnostic Centres for the hearing impaired in 10 districts, to detect and treat hearing loss among children aged between 0-6 years.
The centres, which will be equipped with sophisticated equipment, can diagnose hearing loss from the first day of birth. They will be established at a cost of `1.98 crore. The centre has been designed to detect possible hearing disability during birth or acquired after birth.
The centre would be established in Vellore, Nammakal, Madurai, Tiruvallur, Kaniyakumari, Theni, Chengalpet, Dharmapuri, Erode and Virudunagar districts. Each centre would be established at a cost of `19.80 lakh.
Each centre would be equipped with instruments such as Pure Tone Audiometry, Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry (BERA), Oto Acoustic Emission (OAE)(portable screener), Sound Treated Rooms, Diagnostic Audiometre with free field Audiometry/ Peep Show Audiometer with laptop and otoscope with light.
“Such centres are not available in government sector or even in several corporate hospitals in the districts,” district differently-abled welfare officer B Charles Prabhakaran said.
“If the congenital hearing disabilities are not detected and corrected within 4 to 5 years, they will become a victim of permanent disability. It will also affect their speech, language acquisition ability and developmental growth,” he said. The most sophisticated equipment like BERA, which costs `8.20 lakh, would help to measure responses in brain waves, stimulated by sounds. The OAE equipment, which cost `4 lakh, will help to monitor the vibration of hair cells in the ears.
“We have completed the construction of sound-proof room at a cost of `4 lakh and are waiting for installation of the equipment. The centre will start functioning from March next year,” Prabhakaran said and added that the existing audiologist-cum-speech therapist would man the centre. “We will assist individuals with behind-the-ear hearing aid based on the intensity of hearing loss,” Prabhakaran further said.
source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / by J Shanmuga Sundaram – Vellore / December 12th, 2013