03/03/2025
To integrate ear and hearing care into universal health care and ensure availability of services through primary
health care approaches. Essential public health interventions for ear and hearing care are summarized in the acronym
“H.E.A.R.I.N.G.”
H) Hearing screening and intervention. Systematic hearing screening at strategic points of life i.e., in newborns
and infants; children, especially in school settings; older people; and those exposed to noise, ototoxic chemicals
or ototoxic medicines.
E) Early identification of hearing loss followed by prompt rehabilitation is key for a successful outcome.
Ear disease prevention and management at community level through following simple Dos and Dont's for
healthy hearing; early identification, management and referral of ear diseases by trained primary health care
providers, and access to specialized medical and surgical care, when needed.
A) Access to technologies such as hearing aids, cochlear implants, and middle ear implants that can benefit the
majority of those with hearing loss.
R) Rehabilitation services that can be easily accessed, such as speech and language therapy, use of sign
language and lip reading.
I) Improved communication through sign language interpretation; and captioning services to facilitate
participation of people with hearing loss in all activities.
N) Noise reduction through implementation of occupational hearing conservation programmes in the workplace;
and adoption of the global standard for safe listening devices and the global standard for safe listening venues
as national standards.
G) Greater community engagement, including those who are deaf and hard of hearing, to change behaviours
and attitudes towards hearing loss and its causes.
Hearing Services.
