Evercare Hospital (an offshoot of Evercare Group) and MED-EL Electronics, a hearing implant company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to tackle hearing impairment in children under five years.
At the signing ceremony on Monday in Lagos, the Director of Operations, Evercare Hospital, Eric Ochieng, noted that the deal was signed on March 3, the day for the commemoration of World Hearing Day, would significantly reduce the number of children suffering from hearing challenges in Nigeria and Africa, which currently stand at eight million.
“We have about 130 visiting consultants, 20 professionals in FDs, and other dedicated specialists in different specialities to provide comprehensive healthcare. With our success stories so far, we believe we are capable of doing this too. It is a lifelong journey. We want to help as many children as possible in Nigeria to tackle this critical challenge,” he remarked.
The Group Commercial Officer of Evercare, Irfan Khan, stated that, in line with its mission to help people with hearing loss experience the joy of sound, the hospital’s medical personnel were ready to give the best services to achieve the desired results of patients and hospital management.
He declared that the hospital aimed to give back to Nigeria, through its cutting-edge technology and services.
He confirmed that the group was looking forward to partnering with the government, NGOs, and corporate organisations to deliver individualised solutions through research and development.
“We are not after offering the cheapest and fastest service, we are not in haste. We are guided by quality and ethical standards to achieve sustainable results for everyone,” he asserted.
On her part, the Business Development Africa and Regional Manager for MED-EL, Stephanie Unterrieder, revealed that the partnership was made possible through Evercare Foundation, assuring that Evercare and MED-EL do not take such support for granted.
“We are careful and conscious of what we do. We carry out thorough investigations and examinations even for children with special needs. Ours is to see that the number of children with hearing challenges is reduced to the barest minimum,” she maintained.
Speaking for the Lagos State Ministry of Health, the Director of Special Projects & Mental Health, Dr Tolu Ajomale, who represented the ministry’s permanent secretary, said that the state government was not leaving any stone unturned in ensuring that residents in the state receive the best healthcare services in all public health facilities.
“We are interested in this partnership; it is in line with our mandate to ensure everyone is healthy,” he posited.
The 2024 World Hearing Day focused on overcoming the challenges posed by societal misperceptions and stigmatising mindsets through awareness-raising and information-sharing, targeted at the public and healthcare providers.
