11. MARYAN STREET (Labour) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
Has he received any reports on changes to screening for hearing loss in newborn children?
Hon PETE HODGSON (Minister of Health) Link to this
I was pleased to see a report yesterday on the front page of the New Zealand Herald on the success of the newborn hearing screening programme piloted at Waikato District Health Board. This is an exciting joint programme, with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education working together to screen newborn babies’ hearing and, where necessary, to refer them early for specialist treatment, including language and educational development. The programme is starting from 1 July in the Waikato District Health Board, the Tairāwhiti District Health Board, and the Hawke’s Bay District Health Board and will be rolling out across the country over the next 3 years.
Assuming that newborn hearing screening will cause a surge in the need for cochlear implants for some children, what arrangements has the Government made to meet that surge?
Last month’s Budget has $8 million set aside for additional cochlear implants, not only to meet the surge for the children that the member refers to but also to increase adult implants. Getting an early diagnosis of deafness in a child really matters. We now know that providing profoundly deaf young children and newborns with a cochlear implant gives them the chance to hear, speak, and develop on a path very similar indeed to that of other children.