Peru Tackles Hearing Healthcare

For those of us living in the United States, advanced hearing technology has been available for some time. Audiology and hearing aids have come a long way in the last half of the century. Thanks to many studies and research, hearing loss and tinnitus have become manageable and do not inhibit people from pursuing their dreams. However, this is not the case for many places around the globe. Today, we explore the topic of hearing health around the globe, and hone in on how Peru has worked on hearing healthcare.

In many developing countries, people with hearing loss do not have access to hearing health care or treatment, such as hearing aids. As such, many hearing aid manufacturers have set out to support developing nations in hearing health care. Starkey Hearing Foundation, for example, has donated a pair of hearing aids for each Starkey hearing aid purchased to countries such as Mozambique and Vietnam.

In certain countries, people with hearing loss are a little harder to reach than others. Not everyone has the same standard of health care, especially people located in very remote and isolated locations. While this can be disheartening, the good news is that many countries are working to meet these needs.

Peru has been working toward making hearing healthcare available to everyone. With both government and private efforts put to the cause, those with hearing loss will have better access to hearing aids, cochlear implants and other resources to assist in their hearing health.

There are 27 million people in Peru, according to statistics from their national data body, INEI. Of this number, approximately 530,000 people experience hearing loss. Additionally, around 300 children born with congenital hearing loss, or acquire deafness in childhood, struggle with childhood verbal development due to lack of access to treatment.

To address hearing loss, Peru is working toward making hearing aids and cochlear implants more widely available for the public. Unfortunately, the wait period for a cochlear implant is around three years. At the same time, there is an increase in demand for them. Meanwhile, there have only been around 81,838 hearing aids obtained for hearing loss patients out of the population of 532,000 who are affected with hearing loss. At this point, reports show that 33.8% of people with hearing loss find that there are limitations to completing daily tasks.

Peru is working to educate families in hearing loss and treatment options. Many parents of children with hearing loss are not well informed of the signs of childhood hearing loss, especially when it comes to getting their children tested for hearing loss. This results in a late diagnosis and late treatment options where the rehabilitation required will include teaching children how to speak and parents how to help support their therapy.

Recently, the Peruvian government opened the Hearing and Vestibular Diagnosis and Rehabilitation Center (CDRAV) in Lima. CDRAV is determined to research and meet needs in vestibular problems, prosthetic audiology, electrophysiological tests, paediatric audiology and rehabilitation.

Oxana Panduro, audiologist at CDRAV states, “Although we are just getting started, we want to become a leading center in Peru, and for this reason we are looking for promotion in scientific publications in audiology, incorporating new hearing care professionals, otorhinolaryngologists, and psychologists to carry out research studies, and we are going to work hard to be specialists in tinnitus.”

As for education, CDRAV has brought experts in from Denmark, Chile, Uruguay, Colombia, and Argentina to further train their professionals and technicians in relevant areas from vertigo to advanced audiometry testing. They recognize that there is an urgency for the rise in hearing loss to meet the needs for the elderly and early intervention for children. While this is a huge challenge for CDRAV to meet, they believe this is the right path to building a successful initiative and meeting the growing hearing healthcare needs facing Peru.

While there is a long journey ahead of them, it is encouraging to see that there are governments focused on providing better care of their populations’ healthcare needs.

Back here in the US, if you find yourself experiencing changes in your hearing, it may be time for a hearing test! Hearing specialists recommend an annual hearing test to ensure your best hearing health. Contact us at one of our My Hearing Centers locations today.