Abu Dhabi health body observes World Hearing Day
ABU DHABI: Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS), a Seha healthcare facility, is launching several initiatives to mark World Hearing Day.
As a part of its campaign, AHS is shedding light on some of the issues and challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the prolonged use of earphones and the communication challenges faced by people with hearing difficulties, who make up 20 per cent of the world population according to the World Health Organisation. The theme of this year’s World Hearing Day is Hearing care for ALL! Screen. Rehabilitate. Communicate. Marked annually on 3rd March, the World Hearing Day 2021 presents a global call for action to address hearing loss and ear diseases across the life course.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Omar Al Jabri, Chief Medical Officer at the AHS, said, “Every year we observe World Hearing Day to highlight the latest issues about hearing and, undoubtedly, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a big impact on all aspects of our life, including hearing. For example, people with hearing difficulties are facing challenges when communicating with others as they are unable to read their lips due to the mask. That is why this year we launched an initiative to provide masks marked with a hearing disability icon to enable healthcare providers to easily recognise people with hearing difficulties and adapt their communication, whether through speaking slowly and more clearly, or repeating, or communicating through writing.
‘’We were also delighted this year to surprise four of our patients with hearing aids presented to them in collaboration with Touch of Health.”
Dr. Zafeer Ahmad, Chair of the ENT Department at AHS, stated, “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are using earphones for prolonged periods to communicate with family and friends and to atend virtual meetings, which increases the risk of developing hearing loss. That is why we organised an awareness campaign to educate our patients on techniques to reduce this risk, such as avoiding increasing the volume to cover up outside noise and shiting to a room with less noise in the background, seting the volume to a maximum of 50 per cent or less, and using earphones in both ears to hear beter. We also advise people to refrain from using earphones, if they have excessive ear wax.”
“As a part of the campaign, we also educate patients on the symptoms of hearing loss and the importance of regular check-ups. Parents are also advised to monitor their children’s response to sounds and their speech and understanding abilities, and raise their concern to their family physician or paediatrician to identify and diagnose any issues early,” Dr. Ahmad added.