More than 70 million people suffer from hearing disability around the world, with an estimate also suggesting that more than 80 per cent of people who are clinically deaf said to exist in the world’s developing nations.
A global initiative fronted by the World Health Organisation (WHO), World Hearing Day is commemorated annually on March 3 to raise awareness on how to prevent deafness and hearing loss and promote ear and hearing care across the world. With an annual theme for World Hearing Day decided upon by WHO, the theme for 2021 is Hearing Care For All. At its headquarters in Geneva, WHO organises an annual World Hearing Day event.
In recent years, an increasing number of member states and other partner agencies have joined World Hearing Day by hosting a range of activities and events in their countries, including the UAE. The Al Jalila Foundation, for instance, a philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives, and founded by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has overseen several initiatives to fund treatment for those with hearing disabilities as well as raise awareness on the condition across several platforms in the region and on the global stage.
Make a difference
Several organisations in the private space have also helped in raising awareness on World Hearing Day in the UAE. Faith Medical, a UAE based company and the official distributor for a range of global brands that manufacture premium hearing aid systems, now hopes to make a difference to the lives of select patients afflicted with hearing disabilities.
Speaking to GN Focus, Abdul Jaleel Eramangalath, Managing Director, Faith Medical, says, “To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the UAE this year, Faith Medical will present hearing aid systems to 50 patients with hearing disabilities in the UAE. The satisfaction that we at Faith Medical gain on seeing that sense of wonder registering on patients’ faces when they hear sound for the first time cannot be expressed in words. I look forward to presenting these patients with the gift of hearing and see it transform their lives.”
