March 3 is noticed as World Listening to Day to boost consciousness about stopping listening to loss and advocating for ear and listening to care worldwide.
| Picture Credit score: SIVAKUMAR PV
A day forward of World Listening to Day, the World Well being Organisation (WHO) on Sunday, March 2, 2025, referred to as on governments, well being professionals, civil society and people to prioritise ear and listening to care, problem stigma and advocate for better funding on this vital space.
March 3 is noticed as World Listening to Day to boost consciousness about stopping listening to loss and advocating for ear and listening to care worldwide.
“This 12 months, beneath the theme ‘Altering Mindsets: Empower Your self to Make Ear and Listening to Care a Actuality for All’, we reaffirm our dedication to empowering people, communities and well being methods to take significant motion towards higher ear and listening to well being,” stated Saima Wazed, WHO’s Southeast Asia regional director.
Calling listening to loss an escalating public well being problem, she stated greater than 1.5 billion folks have been affected globally, with almost 80 per cent residing in low- and middle-income nations.
Wazed stated, “An estimated 400 million folks expertise listening to issues in our Southeast Asia area alone — a quantity that might rise to 660 million by 2050 if present tendencies proceed.” These should not simply statistics; they mirror actual people whose lives, livelihoods and wellbeing are deeply impacted, she added.
Unaddressed listening to loss has far-reaching penalties like influencing language improvement, schooling, employment and psychological well being. Nevertheless, many causes are preventable and efficient, cost-efficient interventions can be found, Wazed stated.
Regardless of this, greater than 80 per cent of ear and listening to care wants worldwide stay unmet, she added. “Bridging this hole should be a precedence.” Wazed appreciated the progress made by member states in strengthening ear and listening to within the area.
Bangladesh, Myanmar and Nepal have performed situational assessments utilizing WHO instruments and are advancing in direction of strategic improvement for strengthening ear and listening to care companies. Myanmar has built-in ear and listening to care with eye care, aged care, and psychological well being companies on the group stage.
Bhutan has applied free listening to screenings and listening to assist companies for kids. Indonesia has initiated built-in listening to and imaginative and prescient screening in faculties. Discipline-testing of coaching on assistive merchandise listening to modules is being performed in India.
“On this World Listening to Day, I name on governments, well being professionals, civil society and people to prioritise ear and listening to care, problem stigma and advocate for better funding on this vital space,” Wazed stated.
“Collectively, we will guarantee listening to care is accessible to all, in all places,” she added.
Printed – March 03, 2025 04:30 pm IST
