Public education

Increasing public awareness and concern is one of the most effective methods to promote HCP.  The public should be made to realise that hearing is a necessary function rather than an  expendable  commodity.

Unfortunately,  our  public  education programmes and school systems fail  to  emphasise the  importance of hearing and its conservation.  They also do not  realise that this type of health education is as important as learning to read and write and hence should be made a part of a child’s curriculum.

Organisations  such as  parent-teacher associations should take it upon themselves to organise regular  programmes highlighting the importance of hearing and the dangers of noise exposure.   Children  are amenable to audio-visual aids  and so with the help of these devices they could be educated regarding the handicaps and hardships caused by deafness, and about the role of nutrition and personal hygiene in preventing infections leading to deafness.

Mass  media  like  the  radio, television,  newspapers and magazines  could  educate the adult  population.

All  efforts  have  to be made to rid the general  people  of the  misconceptions    surrounding  deafness,  and  to  guide  afflicted  to  seek  professional  help.   Free  camps  should  be  conducted  by  specialists  in  remote  areas,  not  only  to  identify  deafness  but  also  to  educate  the  people  about  basic  care  of  the  ear  and  other  important  measures  to  prevent  deafness.   Service  organisation  could  take  it  upon  themselves  to  adopt  a  village  and  arrange  such  camps  at  regular  intervals.