Hearing aid supply fails to meet global need: Health Ministry
Hearing loss is the fourth leading cause of disability. The impact of hearing loss or deafness is very broad and severe
Jakarta (ANTARA) – The current number of hearing aids could not meet the needs of all deaf patients in the world, according to the Ministry of Health.
“Hearing loss is the fourth leading cause of disability. The impact of hearing loss or deafness is very wide and severe,” the ministry’s director general for disease prevention and control, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, told the World Health Day media rally. 2022 audition Tuesday.
Rondonuwu noted that hearing loss can impede a person’s cognitive, psychological and social development. Thus, the quality of human resources has declined globally.
He cited data from the World Hearing Report 2021 which showed that 1.5% of the world’s population suffered from hearing loss, of which 430 million required rehabilitation services for bilateral hearing loss.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has also estimated that 20% of people with hearing loss need hearing aids.
Unfortunately, the devices produced to date could only meet 10% of global needs. In fact, it meets only three percent of patient needs in a developing country. This means that patient access to these items was still limited.
Data from the 2019 Social Health Disability Management Information System clarified that people with deafness constituted 7% of the total disabled citizens.
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“On the other hand, the global prevalence of moderate to severe hearing loss increases (as people age. The rate increases to 12.7% by age 60. (It could reach) more than 58% at the age of 90,” he revealed.
Rondonuwu warned that without proper countermeasures in an era where information technology is developing at a rapid pace, the number of people affected by hearing loss will increase, not to mention the contributing factors, such as a noisy workplace, congenital diseases, or new habits that people have developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the use of headphones.
Thus, he expects that the needs of all hard of hearing or deaf people, in Indonesia or around the world, can be met.
He is also optimistic about preventing hearing loss since childbirth through a balanced diet.
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