CBM, CBC Health Services donates Neonatal Equipment to 4 Health Facilities in NWR
The CBC Health Services has donated to four health facilities in the Northwest Region, Maico Auto Acoustic Emission to screen newborn children for hearing loss. The Director of CBC Health Services handed the equipment worth over…10 million FCFA on December 10, 2020 to representatives of the Regional Hospital Bamenda, District Hospital Nkwen, Mbingo Baptist Hospitals, and Nkwen Baptist Health Center.
While handing the machines to the beneficiaries at the Baptist Center Nkwen Bamenda, Prof Tih Pius regretted that from observation, some children have been born with hearing loss which has never been detected at that level until they are grown up. To him, it is important that every child born gets their ears screened to curb the prevalence of children growing with hearing impairment. Thus, he reiterated that the machines are expected to be used in the maternities of the pilot health facilities for early neonatal screening and management with a view to preventing conditions that could lead to hearing loss in children. Prof Tih charged the health facilities to judiciously use the equipment and present results giving that this will be a pilot phase for them to use the equipment and share outcomes so that it will be extended to other health facilities.
Elated with the gesture from the SEEPD Program of the CBC Health Services, Dr. Djokam Julius, Medical Adviser for the Regional Hospital Bamenda noted that before the donation, it was very difficult for the hospital to detect hearing loss in children because of lack of equipment. “With this equipment which we applaud the CBC health Services for, it will help us to improve on quality health care,” Dr. Djokam concluded adding his voice to those of other representatives to call on the public to make use of the equipment given that the screening will be done on children for free.
SEEPD Program Officer, Loshie Eugene, remarked that it is important to defect the impairment in children given that averagely, within a month, these four facilities record approximately 600 births with a 5% prevalence rate of hearing impairment. To him, there will be four levels of intervention after detection being; identification, referrals, treatment, and rehabilitation.
It should be noted that before the handing of the equipment, the SEEPD Program organized a 2-day workshop to train nurses and midwives from the beneficiary health facilities on the use of neonatal equipment to screen children.
Speaking to the press after training them, the lead facilitator, an Ear, Nose and Throat consultant, Dr. Acha Evaristus of the CBC Health Services, said the expectation is to reduce the prevalence of hearing impairment in the region. He charged them to effectively use the skills and the machine.