The facts on cochlear implants in New Zealand

• Just 40 adults nationally receive government funding for a cochlear implant every year. However, there are nearly 200 eligible adults who are currently waiting, and this number could increase by the hundreds in the next five years. • For every five adults that are referred for a cochlear implant, only

one will receive funding. • Cochlear implants are not covered by health insurance. It costs

$50,000 to pay for the procedure privately. • Most people on the waiting list were not born deaf – they lost their hearing as adults. The onset of total and permanent deafness can happen to anyone at any point. • Hearing aids become ineffective when the hearing loss is more than severe. A cochlear implant is the last and only viable treatment that will restore hearing. • The Southern Cochlear Implant Programme (SCIP) is calling on the Government to increase the annual number of adult surgeries from 40 to 120, to address the most urgent cases.