Inaugurates the weeklong free camp for hearing loss and childhood development disorders

at Hear ‘N’ Say Clinic

• Hear ‘N’ Say Clinic celebrate its 9th anniversary

The weeklong free camp for hearing loss and childhood development disorders, being conducted by Hear ‘N’ Say Clinic to celebrate its 9th anniversary, was formally inaugurated by Chief Guest Shri Ajay Mishra, Chairman, Indian Red Cross Society, Telangana and Guest of Honour Dr Ashish Chauhan, Senior Consultant, Apollo Hospitals; also present were Dr Sai Krishna Vegivada, Clinical Director – Audiology, Hear ‘N’ Say Clinic and Dr Garima Vegivada, Clinical Director – Speech Language Pathology, Hear ‘N’ Say Clinic. Hear ‘N’ Say Clinic is a specialized center for people with Hearing, speech and language disorders, with branches at Secunderabad, AS Rao Nagar and Kukatpally.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Ajay Mishra said “even I realised, that I had some hearing loss, this only after my wife prompted me to get screened for hearing. Initially I didn’t believe her words.  Later I got myself treated for it. It was some 25 years ago. Urge everyone to not to ignore even the smallest symptoms of hearing loss and get it addressed as soon as possible.”

The free Camp will be held till February 19th, 2023, between 10.00 am to 5.00 pm, at all the three branches of Hear ‘N’ Say Clinic. The Free consultation will be for Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, Behavioural Therapy, Special Education, Cochlear Implants and Hearing Aids. Interested patients may contact Hear ‘N’ Say Clinics, Secunderabad on 96666 99282; A. S. Rao Nagar on 81066 09282 and Kukatpally on 91218 67946.

Dr Ashish said, hearing loss is an invisible and the most ignored disability. Many Diabetes patients have hearing loss and it is essential that they get tested every year.

Dr Anand said, children being our future, it’s imperative that we address their health needs from the day they are born. Hearing test is the most critical screening to be done for every new born. In case of hearing impairment, they should be treated immediately. This simple test helps prevent children from being stone deaf for their lifetime.

According to the WHO, approximately 66 million people in India have some form of hearing impairment. In children the prevalence of hearing loss is 6.6% to 16.47%. Rural areas and elderly showed a higher prevalence of hearing impairment. Some of the symptoms of hearing impairment are inattentiveness, wanting the television or radio louder than usual, misunderstanding directions, listlessness, unexplained irritability and limited participation in extracurricular activities and hobbies. Hearing impairment impacts the living standards of individuals by way of reduced opportunities of higher education and employment, says Dr Garima Vegivada.

According to Dr Sai Krishna Vegivada, Hear ‘N’ Say Clinic has tested more that 10,000 people so far and aims to reach out to one lakh people by spreading its network of clinics in the city. The Clinic recently diagnosed a one month old child with hearing loss. Early detection of hearing impairment helps children to grow up with adequate speech and language development, at par with their peers.

A 23 year old lady earlier diagnosed with learning disability, came to us for improving her speech clarity. We however suspected hearing loss and investigations further confirmed that, the parents were dumbstruck. We helped her with hearing aids and now she is a confident individual set to complete her post-graduation.