The Kenya Society for Deaf Children (KSDC) has unveiled a level 2 comprehensive Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) clinic featuring medical and audiological professionals to serve both hearing and deaf individuals.
The specialized facility, named the ‘DECHI’ Hearing Centre, aims to make affordable ENT and audiology services accessible to Kenyans, encompassing consultations, treatment, and the provision of hearing aids for the hearing impaired.
Speaking during the inauguration on behalf of Mr. Harry Kimtai, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Medical Services, Dr. Manasseh- Director of Clinical Services-State Department for Medical Services commended KSDC for this initiative, describing it as a significant achievement aligned with the ministry’s strategic plans.
He expressed the ministry’s endorsement, stating that it corresponds with the National Strategic Plan for Ear and Hearing Care (EHC) 2023-2028, focused on enhancing access to EHC services, fortifying technology delivery, and improving habilitation and rehabilitation.
The DECHI hearing clinic, open to all, will collaborate with national and county hospitals to facilitate early assessment, diagnosis, and management of hearing loss.
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It will also serve as an information hub to raise awareness about preventable and avoidable deafness.
In Kenya, statistics reveal that hearing impairment ranks as the fourth leading cause of disability, often identified belatedly.
Speaking during the launch, KSDC chairman Francis Ng’ang’a expressed his delight about the clinic and the presence of key partners to support the same.
“In Kenya, there are over 300,000 children of school going age and only 20,000 of these are in school.
“Further, and based on research most hearing loss is acquired, meaning that it is not hereditary which further means that is preventable through early mitigation.
“The key challenge facing this space is under-support and under funding and not enough conversations about the deaf taking place in national conversations,” said Ng’ang’a.
He added that DECHI hearing clinic offers KSDC internal capacity to handle hearing cases for children and adults for both clinic and audiology outpatient services.
At the same time Ng’ang’a explained that KSDC will be offering referral to major hospitals for any condition requiring in-patient services.
“As KSDC we hope to scale this clinic to all counties to ensure affordable access to all through deployment of mobile clinics and provision of hearing aids”, he added.
During the launch, Rhoda Kabiti, the CEO of KSDC, reiterated the role and mandate of the society which is to advocate for rights and interests of deaf children.
Ms. Kabiti mentioned that the key focus areas are health, education and social welfare and one of the channels to reach them is through partnership with schools.
She cited a World Health Organization report showing that over 1.5 billion people worldwide, constituting 20% of the global population, experience varying degrees of hearing loss.
The newly launched clinic distinguishes itself by employing staff members with hearing impairment, ensuring inclusivity with adept sign language communication.
