Egypt’s Health and Population Minister Hala Zayed said on Monday an audiometric survey of 1,908 newborns was conducted as part of a presidential initiative for early detection and treatment of hearing loss and impairment in newborns.
The initiative was launched in September 2019.
The number of examination centres were increased to cover 3,500 health units across all governorates to conduct audiological examinations for children from the day of birth to the age of 28 days, said ministry spokesman Khaled Megahed.
He said 5,280 non-Egyptian children living in Egypt were examined as part of the initiative upon the directives of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
The spokesman said 113,323 children were transferred to a second examination a week after their first one in the same units, adding that 10,755 children were transferred after the second test to hospitals and specialized centers, numbering 30, across the nation.
He pointed out that the child’s failure to pass the second test does not mean that it has a hearing loss but that he/she needs advanced tests in specialized centres.
Megahed said the birth certificate was updated to include audiological examination in order to create a complete file about the child that includes its health condition.
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