A medical expert and consultant surgeon on Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT), Adesegun Adeyinka, says over 5 percent of the world population require hearing rehabilitation to address their hearing loss.
He also estimates that by 2050, over 700 million people (one in 10 people) will have disabling hearing loss.
Adeyinka spoke for the Cochlear Implant Team at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) Centre, Ikeja. A cochlear implant is a small electronic device that electrically stimulates the cochlear nerve ( for hearing). The implant has external and internal parts.
Cochlear implantation is indicated in patients with severe to profound hearing loss after hearing aids must have failed to improve their hearing.
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LASUTH, which is one of the only two centres in Nigeria where this service is being provided, performed its first set of cochlear implantations in LASUTH in 2014 and a total number of 38 patients have had a successful cochlear implant in LASUTH to date with improved hearing and speech acquisition.
Another seven patients were implanted over a two-day period between Wednesday, May 6, and Thursday, May 7, 2021. The implants were carried out for five males and two females with an age range of two to 26 years. Six patients had right cochlear implant while one had bilateral cochlear implant.
LASUTH under the leadership of Adetokunbo O. Fabamwo, the chief medical director, with the support of the Lagos State government says it remains committed to providing quality, effective and efficient healthcare services to the people of Lagos and its environs with the best available resources.
