Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population announced on Saturday that 2,467,507 newborns have been surveyed as part of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s initiative for early detection and treatment of hearing impairment and loss for newborns since it was launched in September 2019.
The Official Spokesperson for the ministry, Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, stated that 144,364 newborns were transferred for re-examination a second time for a confirmation test a week after the first examination in the same unit.
He added that 13,657 children were transferred after the second test to 30 referral centres nationwide for more accurate evaluations, medical treatment, the installation of a hearing aid, or referring the child for cochlear implantation to those whose condition requires the operation.
Abdel Ghaffar further pointed to the increase in the number of audiological examination centres for children to 3,500 health units in all governorates. He added that 7,102 non-Egyptian children residing in Egypt were also examined as part of the initiative.
Furthermore, Abdel Ghaffar mentioned that a child’s failure to pass the second test in most cases does not mean that he has hearing loss, but rather needs advanced tests at the referral centres of the initiative, stressing that early detection of hearing impairment or loss avoids hearing impairment and facilitates treatment opportunities.
He also added that the birth certificate was recently updated and included in the audiological examination box, and registration is done through the birth database and the vaccination file with the aim of creating a complete file for the child that includes their health condition and ensures their safety.
