Bengaluru: Brett Lee, former Australian cricketer and brand ambassador for hearing implant maker Cochlear, appealed to the government to make universal newborn hearing screening mandatory, during his visit to Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Lee said, "Hearing impairment is the second-most common disability in India, yet most people aren't even aware of it. Infants are not screened for hearing ability as a matter of practice, compared to developed countries, where universal newborn hearing screening is mandatory."
The accident of his son who lost his hearing ability that was regained after restoration has led the former cricketer to lead a global campaign for the last four years, to raise awareness about hearing loss and its emotional and social impact on individuals, particularly children. He stressed how cochlear implants can transform lives. According to the 2011 census, 1,939 children in the age group of 0-6 years in Karnataka were hearing impaired and most of them were affected since birth.
Earlier in the day, Lee was at the Command Hospital (Air Force) to witness two newborns being tested for hearing as part of the UNHS process. He was given a tour of the Command Hospital's facilities, in particular for newborn hearing screening.
Stressing on the importance of early intervention, Lee applauded efforts by Kerala, which has newborn screening for children in almost all the government maternity centres and asked other states to follow it.
Lee requested not to use words like deaf and dumb for hearing-impaired children. "If a child can't hear, it does not mean the child can be called dumb or deaf. As a society we should stop using such words," he said.
