FMC Abuja Lists Challenges of Tackling Hearing Problem

Onyebuchi Ezigbo in Abuja

The Federal Medical Centre in Abuja has given reasons why people with ear and hearing problems are not getting adequate treatment and rehabilitation services in the country.The Federal Medical Centre said that though the National Policy and Strategic Plan for Ear and Hearing Care in Nigeria was successfully launched, it has not been fully implemented.Head of the Ear, Nose and Throat Department at the Medical Centre, who spoke at the event to mark this year’s World Hearing Day held at the FMC, Abuja, Dr. Uche Ukwuije said that many common causes of hearing loss can be prevented, including that caused by exposure to loud sounds.According to her, the burden of hearing loss is still very high with nearly 2.5 billion people estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to be living with some degree of hearing loss by 2050.Ukwuije said that one of the challenges presently affecting efforts at curbing hearing problems in Nigeria was the inadequate insurance coverage for hearing aids and rehabilitation services.Another constraint according to the Physician is nadequate representation for ear and hearing services in the Basic Health Care Provision Fund”Other challenges include, lack of access to high quality ear and hearing care services in the Primary and some Secondary Health Care facilties in the country, stigma associated with and attitude towards hearing aids use in Nigeria, inadequate manpower for rehabilitation services, there are not enough audiologist, speech and language pathologists in Nigeria, nonexistence of systematic hearing screening in our health facilities, nonexistence of assistive listening device in our public school system to enable integration of children with hearing disabilities into regular school system, high cost of Cochlear implants and surgery thereby making almost unaccessible to normal Nigerians and high rate of ear surgery declines due to local cultural beliefs, she said.While speaking at the event, the Chief Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre Abuja, Dr. Saad Aliyu Ahmed said that efforts were being made to improve services rendered at the hospital.
“The Ear,Nose and Throat,ENT Department, is one of the departments in this institution that we are proud to say that we have. We have three ENT surgeons already in the department. We have some other staffs who are medical officers , nurses and general staffs. 
“We are making efforts to get an Otolaryngologist even if it is one to see how we can complete the circle. The ENT department is one of those departments that we are currently working on to see that they have adequate space, for carrying out clinical services and also training,” he said. 
The CMD said that with the support of the National Assembly, the FMC  has been able to start construction of some projects in this hospital, adding that one of such projects is in the department of the of ENT. “It is our hope that before the end of this year, they will be up for accreditation and training,” he said. 
The World Hearing Day is an initiative of the World Health Organisation. It was earmarked to raise awareness on the importance of hearing.