2023 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Conference
March 5-7, 2023 • Cincinnati, OH
10/25/2016 | 8:40 AM - 9:45 AM | Bridging the Hearing Health Access Gap in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Approach by the Starkey Hearing Foundation | BGPOP Building 4A/B/C
Bridging the Hearing Health Access Gap in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Approach by the Starkey Hearing Foundation
Overall Objective: To create educational and communication opportunities for hearing impaired children and adults. In line with the goal of Starkey Hearing Foundation––to help people stand at their true height––we recognize that by providing hearing healthcare to those in need has a compounding effect through them, their families, and their communities. This project works to eliminate the critical shortage of hearing healthcare workers.
Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 360 million people have disabling hearing loss worldwide and that half of all the cases of hearing loss are avoidable through primary intervention. Also estimated is that the prevalence rate of hearing loss is greatest in low-income and middle-income countries. In Zambia, the number of people with hearing impairment is estimated to be between 4% - 6% of the population, which translates to approximately 600,000 to 900,000 people in Zambia, and well over 36 million people for the Sub-Sahara region. With such a large number of people estimated to have hearing impairment, there is an urgent need to address hearing loss by increasing the number of individuals that can provide quality hearing healthcare to serve this population.
The situation is similar in many Sub-Saharan African countries, where a combined population of over 400 million individuals have limited access to any ear and hearing care services. The primary objectives of establishing a training program are these: To improve access to ear and hearing care services for the people in both rural and urban communities; to provide graduates of the program with an internationally recognized training certification; To build sustainable, long-term capacity in hearing healthcare in Africa by providing skills and resources that enable local properly trained individuals to help their people; and To prevent all preventable hearing loss through appropriate interventions.
- Participants will be equipped with skills on how to set up training programs for Hearing health
- Participants will appreciate the roles of paraprofessionals in bridging the access gap
- Participants will learn how to develop a scalable model of training hearing health para- professionals in developing countries
Presentation:
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Presenters/Authors
Luqman Lawal
(), Starkey Hearing Foundation/ University of Minnesota SPH, Luqman_Lawal@starkeyfoundation.org;
Luqman Lawal MD, MPH is a Public health Physician who serves as the Director of Global health and Research at the Starkey Hearing Foundation.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -
Alfred Mwamba
(), Starkey Hearing Foundation, alfred.tennis@gmail.com;
An Audiologist who is the Director of the Starkey Hearing Institute.
ASHA DISCLOSURE:
Financial -
Nonfinancial -