Punjab became the 1st State in India to launch SOHUM – Automated Auditory Brainstem Response System (AABR) under Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programme. The system will help in effective management of hearing loss in newborn and young children.
- 22 SOHUM (AABR) units are set to be installed in all District hospitals; the tests & treatment of hearing loss will be provided free of cost.
- SOHUM is an indigenous newborn hearing screening device developed by School of International Biodesign (SIB) startup M/s Sohum Innovation Labs India Pvt. Ltd. It was developed under the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology.
- The main objective of the Universal Newborn Hearing Screening Programme is to eradicate hearing loss among the children.
Key Points
i.Post successful diagnosis of hearing disability in children, Punjab government will provide a cochlear implant for free of cost, it will provide a person with sensorineural hearing loss a modified sense of sound.
ii.SOHUM device will help in effective assessment and further management of hearing loss in a timely manner.
iii.In India, 5-6% children are born with this defect & around 63 million people are suffering from hearing impairment and related diseases in India.
- Hearing Impairment treatment services are covered under the Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK).
- As per National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) Survey, there are 291 persons per one lakh population who suffer from severe to profound hearing loss. Out of this, a large percentage is children aged between 0-14 years.
- With a large number of hearing impaired young Indians, it amounts to a severe loss of productivity, both physical and economic.
Recent Related News:
On March 2, 2021, WHO released its 1st World Report on Hearing stating that nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide or 1 in 4 people will suffer from hearing problems by 2050.
About Punjab
Capital – Chandigarh
Governor – V. P. Singh Badnore
Chief Minister – Captain Amarinder Singh
