Netcare launches first newborn hearing screening in SA

Netcare has launched a hearing screening programme for all newborn babies at its hospitals’ maternity units across the country.

The programme is the first initiative of its kind in South Africa, and aims to identify hearing loss in infants as early as possible, Kempton Express reports.

“It has been estimated that between four and six in every 1 000 South African children will be born with, or will develop, hearing loss in their first weeks of life,” says Jacques du Plessis, managing director of the Netcare hospital division.

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Du Plessis says Netcare has entered into a preferred provider arrangement with the South African Association of Audiologists (SAAA), a professional association for audiologists in South Africa, to ensure that all neonates born at Netcare facilities will have their hearing screened by professionally qualified audiologists.

The cost of the specialised screening is covered as part of Netcare’s Maternity Passport offering.

Leading international audiology experts have provided input on the programme, which was initially piloted at Netcare Park Lane Hospital in Johannesburg with great success more than a year ago.

Dr Susan Strauss, the national president of the SAAA, said: “If hearing impairments are detected as soon as possible after birth, they can then be addressed before they impact a child’s development, giving them the best possible start in life.

“Fortunately, today’s specialised hearing screening tests make it possible to detect hearing problems in the very first days of a baby’s life.”

The specific interventions will depend on the cause of the hearing impairment and the specific circumstances of the child. They can, however, include amplification, therapeutic interventions, as well as holistic child and family-centred early intervention.

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