We congratulate and appreciate Dr Paul for setting up
a newborn hearing screening program in Kerala, and reporting about it
[1]. If it has to be replicated in other areas of the country a few more
details are needed. Is the charge of Rs 150 per child, a one-time
payment, and does it cover repeat tests in those who need it. Was the
program supported by any grant?
The author had screened 1,01,688 babies, out of which
15123 failed the first test and of these 1,634 babies failed the second
screen. Finally, deafness was diagnosed in 162. Assuming no further
charges were made for repeat tests, the cost of detecting one case of
deafness works out to be approximately Rs. 100,000. In addition,
unnecessary anxiety may be caused to 15% of the mothers who were
informed that their child had failed the hearing test initially.
Only profound hearing defects are picked up by these
screening tests. The author states that hearing loss must be detected
before 6 months of age. Most mothers would easily pick up the cues of
lack of responsiveness to sound before the child reaches the age of 6
months. One wonders if this screen is really useful and cost-effective
in India.
Reference