Makerere launches first public hearing clinic
What you need to know:
- The project will help the deaf and hard of hearing children in Uganda that face a myriad of challenges.
Makerere University College of Health Scieces in Collaboration with Rotary Club of Kololo- has launched a hearing clinic and a temporal bone lab at the institution of learning.
The facility at the Makerere University hospital is aimed at addressing issues of people with hearing problems in the country.
Dr Josephat Byamugisha, the hospital director, said that the facility was put up in memory of Dr Irwin Stewart who spearheaded improvement of hearing health care in Africa, particularly Uganda.
By Tuesday evening, about 200 patients had been examined at the clinic as Dr Byamugisha urged the general public and students with hearing problems to visit the facility.
“We have issues whereby members of the public with hearing issues have not been getting where to go for screening especially in public health facilities,” Dr Byamugisha observed during the launch of the facility in Kampala on Tuesday.
The facility has been equipped with machines that assist with hearing, testing, operations, ear cleaning, and equipment that shows waves on human response to noise among other things.
Dr Byamugisha recommended that babies should be checked for hearing within the first month after birth to correct likely defects at an early stage.
The new facility has a relatively bigger number of specialists compared to other hospitals in Uganda and will be used as a centre of training for postgraduates.
“It is going to be of great use to graduate training in ear nose and throat not only in the country but also in the region,” he added.
Ministry of health director of public health, Dr Dan Kyabayinze, said the facility will help in providing health services to the known 11 and 10 per cent of Ugandan adults and 10 children –respectively- who have hearing impairments. Dr Kyabayinze noted that of those, about 3 -4 percent need hearing aid but only less than 1 percent have been able to access them.
“We need to put an enabling environment in terms of removing taxes for those who want to bring them into the country,” he urged.
Alex Muhwezi, the president Rotary Kololo- Kampala said that the Club has injected $150,000 to renovate the hearing clinic, install the equipment of the hearing bone clinic and training specialists in addition to outreaches.
He explained that the project will help the deaf and hard of hearing children in Uganda that face a myriad of challenges.
