The initiative is part of Medtronic Labs’ Shruti programme and was organized in partnership with the Government of NCT Delhi

Medtronic Labs, a public benefit corporation, in partnership with the National Health Mission, Government of NCT Delhi and National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness today screened over 300 children for ear diseases and hearing loss. The initiative that was conducted at the Rajkiya Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya No. 3, Veer Savarkar Block, Shakurpur, New Delhi on World Hearing Day is part of Medtronic Labs’ outreach programme called Shruti — the country’s largest in the domain of ear care.

According to the WHO, the prevalence of disabling hearing loss in children is highest in the south Asia region. Four in every 1000 children suffer from severe to profound hearing loss. Hearing loss can affect language development, self-esteem and social skills, emotional well-being, and the academic outcomes in children – all of which can lead to reduced employment opportunities and other issues later in life.

Speaking about this, Dr A K Agarwal, President- Society for Sound Hearing 2030, Ex-Dean and Prof. of Excellence, Dept of ENT, MAMC, said,” eliminating avoidable hearing impairment is not just desirable but should be our goal. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 60% of childhood hearing loss could be avoided through prevention measures. Robust ear care programs that help in community-based screening and early identification can play a significant role. There is a need to use some of the latest technologies such as teleotology and teleaudiology for diagnosis and management of ear diseases remotely. This is even more relevant after the Covid-19 pandemic. One such technology which is available with us is Shruti”

 Dr Alok Gupta, ENT Specialist Grade 1, School Health Scheme, DGHS, added, “Hearing loss can have a significant impact on a child and its future. Early identification of hearing loss in children followed by appropriate interventions can potentially minimize developmental delays and facilitate communication, education and social development. It is our endeavour to ensure that every child is screened for ear diseases and hearing loss. Initiatives that can help in universalization of screening of the school children with respect to ear care will go a long way in combating this invisible disability”

Adding further, Kaustubh Bhatnagar, Chief operating officer, Medtronic Labs, said, Shruti is one of the finest examples of impactful innovations that has fundamentally altered the care pathways for ear diseases and hearing loss. Shruti brings together innovative field-based screening tools and digital platforms that can help governments and organizations take healthcare into communities and other such out-of-hospital settings to create sustainable impact. Shruti is working on a mission mode to ensure that children across the country have access to ear care and benefit from early identification and treatment.”

Dr Ravi Meher, Director Professor, ENT, MAMC, SPO, NPPCD, Delhi State, said, “WHO’s theme for this World hearing day stresses the importance of safe listening. The current younger generation who are often exposed to loud music need to be cognizant of the perilous impact of sustained exposure to such loud noises. These screening initiatives will help further spread the awareness about ear care and safe listening”

The screening programmes were conducted using an innovative field ear screening kit called the ENTraview designed by Medtronic labs. ENTraview is a custom designed smart Otoscope built for field usage. A telemedicine application which runs on the device enables health care staff to capture patient ID, symptoms, images of the ear and preliminary diagnosis. The completed test is transmitted to a cloud server which can then be accessed by the caregivers.

Shruti is India’s largest outreach program in the domain of ear care. It uses community-centric technologies to alter the way ear care is delivered in the country. Shruti address the entire ear care continuum from screening to treatment and more than 9 lakh people have been screened. Its mission is to touch the lives of one billion Indians and make ear care available to one and all.