As Nigeria joins the rest of the world to mark this year’s World Hearing Day, the National Hospital, Abuja has urged Nigerians on the need to care for their ear to avoid hearing impairment.
The Acting Chief Medical Director (CMD) National Hospital Abuja Dr Abba Badamasi said World Hearing Day, is a day whereby the world is looking at those who have challenges with hearing and try to sensitize those who are at risk to make sure they don’t become challenged with heading.
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“We look at them and see how we can assist to make them as comfortable as possible. So we celebrate this day and using it to screen people, and part of our staff will go out into the town and spreads this message and screen part of the population where we think may have challenges with hearing”. He said.
Dr Badamasi noted that the day also give special attention to the aged because their body is not as fresh as those who are young as that of five year old, so the aged are prone to health challenges.
“So the risks are there, so that’s why we tried to look at that population, and make sure that we tried to assess them, and then try and care for them, and then try and tell them how to avoid those challenges”. He added.
A consultant, Physician and Geriatrician Department of Internal Medicine National Hospital Abuja, Dr Ogugua Osi-Ogbu said age is not a disease but a big risk factors for disease condition as they described as multi-morbidity such as, heart issues, kidney issues, issues with the lungs, joints, which makes mobility a concern, and sensory impairments, visual hearing.
“So one of those sensory impairments is why we’re here today, 3rd of March, every year is designated the world hearing day just so that we can shine light on that issue”. She said.
Dr Ogugua said with increasing age, there’s a big risk for hearing impairment and older adults must be given access to health care. “They have a right like everybody else, whether you’re a newborn or a 95 year old, you have something going on and you have a right to health care”.
“The other major concern or major cause of hearing impairment in them is what we describe as sensory neural hearing loss. And for that they often require hearing aids and these are often very expensive for them to get. So our campaign to government and charitable organizations is to make these hearing aids available and affordable for older adults”. She added.
She noted that why their concerned about hearing impairment is because when people are hearing impaired, they are not able to engage with society with increasing age, it means that older adults who have all the information to pass on to younger ones the history of culture and custom, if hearing impaired, they will not be able to fill in that role.
“So it’s important that we take care of our older adults with hearing impairment and also ensure as people are getting older, that they avoid those things that bring about hearing impairment apart from the age-related ones, use of medications, so hearing is one of those attributes that people require to socially engage, we have 14 plus million older adults who are 60 above in Nigeria, we want to make sure that they remain healthy, one of the areas will be hearing health, and I’m glad that we’re here today to raise awareness on hearing. So there is an issue with your 90-year-old, five-year-old hearing, please make sure they go to the hospital, don’t leave them at home, and just say mama is old or provides old. And he’s entitled to hearing loss”. She said.
The Head of the ENT Department, at National Hospital Abuja, Dr. Nse-Obong Undie said the ENT department in collaboration with the Geriatrics unit of the Internal Medicine Department, of the National Hospital in marking this year’s World Hearing Day wants to prevent and help people to be aware of so many things that might cause hearing problems, right from the pregnant woman that has a baby in her womb.
“If she takes some drugs, it might actually cause that baby in the womb to become deaf and the baby will be born deaf. So we are educating people. As we’re growing up, I go to the general outpatient department, the pediatric department; we just want to be sure that people do not cause hearing problems for themselves”. She said.
Dr. Undie said the use of phones, and very loud music, “there’s something called noise-induced hearing loss. And it is as a result of excessive exposure to very loud sounds like the soldiers that are in the shooting ranges, so all those things cause problems with hearing”.
The Head of the ENT Department said, “Today we have a free screening for the public. And anybody that really wants to change their hearing, it is an opportunity to come and have their ear tested.
The theme for this year’s World Hearing Day is “Ear and Hearing Care for all! Let’s make it a reality”.
