Vietnam has approximately 2.5 million hearing-impaired individuals, with 60% of them in the working age, but the number of patients receiving hearing aid interventions remains very low, an expert has said.
Associate Professor Dr. Tran Phan Chung Thuy, president of the Vietnam Otolaryngology Association and president of the ASEAN Otolaryngology Association, shared this information at a scientific seminar on "The Hearing Impairment Situation of Vietnamese Children and Their Future" held in Hanoi last week.
Every year, as many as 1,500-2,000 children are born with congenital hearing loss in Vietnam, which is comparable to the global average, Dr. Thuy added.
Currently, hearing rehabilitation devices are not covered by health insurance, while most of these patients lack the financial means to access the latest scientific advancements in the field of hearing loss treatment, she pointed out.
Experts expressed a desire for financial support to facilitate hearing screening for newborns and to help families in difficult circumstances provide early intervention and treatment for their children.
Vietnam has targeted to screen 90% of newborns for the five most common congenital diseases, including hearing impairment, by 2030.
According to a report by the Maternal and Child Health Department, under the Ministry of Health, on average, about 1.4 million children are born each year in Vietnam, with 1.5% to 2% of them suffering from congenital defects. However, only about 30% of children nationwide are currently screened for prenatal and neonatal diagnosis.
(Suc Khoe Doi Song [1])