The Lahore General Hospital (LGH) has launched the screening of the hearing of newborns as part of neonatal care.
The hospital offers hearing tests for newborns using an audiometric test machine. The development follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Pakistan Ear Foundation and the LGH.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony on Sunday, Ameer Uddin Medical College Principal Professor Muhammad Al-Fareed Zafar emphasised the importance of early hearing assessments. "The birth is a crucial time to determine the hearing ability," he said.
The LGH is the first public sector hospital to provide the facility, which helps identify potential hearing issues from birth.
He highlighted that undiagnosed hearing impairments can hinder a child's speech development and, if left untreated, lead to lifelong challenges.
He explained that early detection of hearing issues is vital, as a child's cognitive and linguistic abilities largely develop in the first year of life.
Citing research, he noted that hearing impairments affect four to six out of every 1,000 children in Pakistan.
Dr Zafar stressed that with timely diagnosis and treatment within a child's first year, many hearing-impaired children can achieve normal learning and developmental milestones.
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