The Chief Executive Office in-charge of Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Dr. Daniel Asare has hinted that, the facility will now conduct free hearing impairment test for all newly born babies at the facility. This has been made possible by the donation of audiometer and acoustic emission by Less Privileged Ghana Foundation through the Czech Republic Embassy in Accra who bought the machines.

The Chief Executive Officer in-charge of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital, Dr. Daniel Asare the donation of the equipment will enable the hospital to screen all newly born babies in the facility. He said before this donation, the facility used to borrow or make referrals to the Cape Coast School for the Blind and Deaf for assessments. He is appealing to corporate Ghana to come to their aid with at least another one since one is not adequate to meet the increasing number of clients.

Aerologist surgeon Dr. Richard Salzman from Czech Republic has assured to work with the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital to train their doctors and nurses and also to establish database for children who may need cochlear implant to correct their hearing impairment problems

Nursing mothers commends Cape Coast Teaching Hospital for taking the initiative to conduct free hearing impairment screening for all newly born babies at the facility for early detection of hearing and speech impairment in their lives. The initiative was made possible for the hospital as a result of free donation of portable audiometer and acoustic emission machine by Less Privilege Ghana Foundation with their Czech Republican partners.

The Executive Director for Less Privileged Ghana Foundation, Emmanuel Appiah Warden said, it is their vision to do cochlear implant for those with severe hearing impairment in 2020. This is the reason why they have donated these equipment to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital. They will reach out to other regions with similar facilities since they are determining eliminate hearing impairment in Ghanaian societies.

Emmanuel Appiah Warden said their greatest challenge in importing equipment meant for donation to health facilities in Ghana has to do with huge import duty charges at the port. They are appealing to government to try as much as possible to grant tax wavers to NGO’s who import equipment to complement government efforts of ensuring high quality service delivery.

 

Source: https://www.ghanabanews.com/cape-coast-teaching-hospital-to-screen-new-born-babies-for-hearing-impairment/