The Hindu : Karnataka News : ‘Dearth of professionals affecting treatment for speech disability’

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 05, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka

‘Dearth of professionals affecting treatment for speech disability’

Staff Reporter

Bangalore: There is a dearth of trained audiologists and speech pathologists in the country, and this is affecting the early detection and treatment of hearing and speech impairment, Vijayalakshmi Basavaraj, Director, All India Institute of Speech and Hearing, Mysore, and president of the parent body of Indian Speech and Hearing Association (ISHA) has said.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Bangalore chapter of ISHA here on Sunday, Dr. Vijayalakshmi said most of the trained professionals sought greener pastures abroad.

She said that there were no proper estimates of persons with hearing and speech disability, but according to research done in this field, one in 600 newborns suffered from severe hearing loss. Moreover, 10 to 15 per cent of school-going children suffered from speech disability, but the Government had not yet recognised speech impairment as a disability.

M.S. Thimmappa, former Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University, who inaugurated the chapter, said the medical profession was becoming increasingly compartmentalised and technique-centred while universities and various disciplines were losing their multi-dimensional character.

Holistic treatment

“Any treatment has to be holistic and patient-centric to give the patient the full benefit,” he said.

N. Rathna and S.R. Chandrashekhar, both pioneers in the field of speech and hearing education and therapy, were present. M.N. Nagaraja was installed as the founding president of the Bangalore chapter of ISHA.

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