Stating that the number of disabled people registered and alive in the National Disability Data System in Turkey is 2 and a half million and emphasizing that approximately 180 thousand of them have hearing impairment, Op. Dr. Sebla Çalışkan said, “Approximately 1 million 100 thousand babies are born every year and 2 or 3 out of every thousand babies are born with severe hearing loss. The most important work done to protect against disability is health screenings.”
Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases Specialist Op. Dr. Sebla Çalışkan, who works at Kocaeli City Hospital, gave information within the scope of “International Week of the Hearing Impaired”. Making a statement on the subject, Op. Dr. Sebla Çalışkan said, “The last week of September has been declared as the International Week of the Hearing Impaired by the World Federation of the Hearing Impaired (WFD) and its national associations and affiliated organizations. This event is organized to protect the rights of the hearing impaired and to raise awareness of the difficulties they experience, to improve the status of the national sign languages they use, to improve their access to education and information technologies.”
Stating that the number of disabled people registered and alive in the National Disability Data System in Turkey is 2 and a half million and emphasizing that approximately 180 thousand of them have hearing impairment, Op. Dr. Sebla Çalışkan said, “Approximately 1 million 100 thousand babies are born every year and 2 or 3 out of every thousand babies are born with severe hearing loss. About 1,800 of these are hearing loss patients who will benefit from cochlear implant, also known as bionic ear or brain stem implant. The World Health Organization reports that 50 percent of the factors leading to hearing loss are preventable. Health screenings are the most important part of the efforts to prevent disability. For this reason, it is extremely important that all our children undergo hearing screenings in the newborn period and at school age, which have been implemented in our country since 2008. Because with the Newborn Hearing Screening Program, screening tests are completed in the first 1 month of every baby born, and babies with hearing loss can be diagnosed in the first 3 months. In 6 months, we can provide healthy individuals to the society by providing the equipment and rehabilitation of our babies who need devices diagnosed with hearing loss. For this reason, let's not neglect our health screenings.”
