Good news from the Ear Centre
By Cath Taylor
Published 16 Aug 2022
The Ear Centre is an important part of the care provided at Green Pastures Hospital.
It’s one of the only places in Western Nepal where affordable medical treatment is available, with the treatment subsidised for those who have previously found the high cost of medical care beyond their means.
Ear problems are one of the leading causes of disability in Nepal. 16.6% of the population suffer from hearing problems, much of this related to poverty and its impacts.
Children with hearing difficulties are often not easily able to access education and grow up with language difficulties. The mission of the Ear Centre to provide care for the most disadvantaged is progressive and life changing.
The centre runs outreach camps, in-patient care, assessment, hearing aids, surgery and rehabilitation. While it was difficult to continue the work during the height of COVID lockdowns, in recent months referrals have picked up and audiology wards are busy once again.
One recent rehabilitation case involved a young woman who was left with a damaged facial nerve after receiving surgery for ear problems in another location. One side of her face had become paralysed. The team worked on a graft to repair the damage, and at a recent follow up, doctors were gratified to see that she has good mobility and returning muscle tone.
The Ear Centre also recently sponsored part of the cost of a cochlear implant for a young woman based in Kathmandu. She had lost all her usable hearing in her early teens, ten years earlier. Three months after the implantation, staff were astonished at her progress and clear speech, and that she could understand both spoken Nepali and English thanks to her implant.
As a result of the life changing procedure, the young woman now has plans for further study and is extremely grateful to the Ear Centre at Green Pastures Hospital.
Please pray for this work and especially for the staff. It’s not always easy to find the right professionals to join the team and they appreciate knowing that you are upholding them in prayer.