Thane to screen newborns for hearing disability soon

THANE: Soon, all newly born babies in government hospitals in Thane will be screened for any congenital hearing loss and timely corrective action to be taken along with intervention of a private hospital.
The announcement was made by guardian minister Eknath Shinde following an interactive session with children born with hearing impairment who underwent corrective procedures and were brought in the mainstream at the initial stages.
“I have instructed the municipal commissioner and will also speak with the district collector to ensure all new born babies undergo this screening,” said Shinde while talking to the media stressing that it was high time for timely diagnosis and cochlear implant to help such children overcome their disabilities.
ENT surgeon Dr Pradeep Uppal who has conducted over 200 corrective procedures said that it was imperative to reach to the children at an early stage as taking any remedial measure later on may not be as effective.
“Many parents end up realising the defect in their child usually at a later stage when it is very difficult to help bring the child into normal routine at par with others,” he said.
Dr Ankit Thakkar, CEO at Jupiter hospital that has volunteered to conduct the tests free of costs said their intention is to not allow any new born in the city and district with hearing defect to go undetected. “We are gearing up for conducting this drives even at mofussil areas and are in the process of setting up a team for the same,” he said.