According to global statistics, one to three children per thousand are born with hearing impairments. Considering that approximately 138,000 newborns are born in Kyrgyzstan each year, this means that about 130–300 of them may have congenital hearing disorders, as stated in the report.
ENT doctor at the National Center for Maternal and Child Health and project manager for audiological screening Munar Beyshenova emphasized the importance of checking a child's hearing before they reach 6 months of age.
If the problem is not identified in time, it can lead to delayed or halted speech development, and rehabilitation at a later age is often complicated and not always effective.
The audiological screening program began its operation in Kyrgyzstan in 2017. In the first stage, newborns are screened in maternity hospitals. If the initial screening is unsuccessful, a repeat examination is conducted within 7–30 days, as this may be related to the presence of fluid in the ears or technical errors. In case of repeated doubts, the child is referred for a more in-depth examination — an auditory brainstem response (ABR) test, which accurately assesses hearing status and allows for treatment and rehabilitation to begin if necessary.
After diagnosis, specialists develop an individual treatment and rehabilitation plan. If partial hearing loss is detected, hearing aids are prescribed, and comprehensive rehabilitation is provided. In cases of complete deafness, cochlear implantation is planned. These surgeries have been performed in Kyrgyzstan at the National Center for Maternal and Child Health since 2018, and now, thanks to support from Qatar, they are conducted free of charge. After the surgery, children require long-term rehabilitation under the supervision of specialists.
As of today, audiological screening is conducted in several maternity hospitals in Bishkek, as well as in the Osh, Jalal-Abad, and Issyk-Kul regions. If the necessary equipment is not available in the region, children are referred to the National Center for Maternal and Child Health for examination by audiologists via electronic referral.
