Over a billion people worldwide suffer from various types of hearing impairment. This problem significantly affects the proper development of children in all latitudes.
For many years, the team of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing (IFPS) has been taking actions to promote the idea of implementing hearing screening programs, as well as vision and speech, in preschool and school children in countries around the world. The effectiveness of these activities is demonstrated, among others, by inclusion of the issue of early detection and treatment of communication disorders in children to the priority of the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, obtained support from both the European scientific community and representatives of EU institutions and Member States, and then the Conclusion of the EU Council on this subject adopted at the end of the presidency.
The implementation of the idea of implementing hearing, vision and speech screening programs in children outside Poland is also possible thanks to the extensive international cooperation between the Institute and medical and scientific institutions, universities and hospitals, in many countries, on all continents.
The Institute makes efforts to expand this cooperation and this was the purpose of the visit of representatives of the Institute of Physiology and Pathology of Hearing, as well as the Institute of Sensory Organs – a unit closely cooperating with IFPS – in Algeria, associated with the participation in the international medical fair SIMEM 2012 in Oran and the organization two presentations for representatives of the Algerian environment of otolaryngologists and audiologists in Algiers and Oran.
Presentations of the Institute’s activities – scientific and clinical achievements, the possibility of using telemedicine solutions – and cooperation proposals met with great interest on the part of local doctors and public institutions. On the opening day of the medical fair, the IFPS stand was visited by the Algerian Minister of Health and representatives of the Ministry. The organized meetings were attended, among others, by members of the largest organization of private otolaryngologists in Algeria, ANOL (National Association of Private Medical Doctors ORL), who invited representatives of the Institutes to organize a special session during the annual ANOL Congress. They also announced the visit of an ANOL delegation to the IFPS World Hearing Center.
As expected, the greatest interest was aroused by the proposal to jointly organize pilot screening programs for hearing and vision screening in children, in selected schools in individual cities in Algeria. I would like to sign a cooperation agreement and join joint research projects publicly (giving statements to the press), declared Prof. Setti Berrada, head of the Otorhinolaryngology clinic of the Central University Hospital in Oran (the largest hospital in the city with a population of approx. 2 million). Moreover, representatives of medical institutions in two other cities – Algiers and Telmcen – are interested in organizing pilot studies in schools. The representative of the Embassy of Guinea, who was present at the Institute’s presentation, expressed appreciation for the Institute’s achievements and for the fact that the Institute has opened up to African countries. In a letter sent to the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Algeria, he noted that he drew the attention of the authorities of his country to the chance for cooperation created by the Institute and that he hopes that the cooperation between Poland and Guinea will take place.
Among the proposals submitted by the Institute to representatives of Algerian medical units are also: joint organization of scientific conferences, training for young doctors, knowledge exchange and technology transfer. At this point, it is important to emphasize the great commitment and support he gave to the Institute of the Trade and Investment Promotion Department of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Algeria.
The presence of the Polish delegation at the medical fair in Oran was reported by the Algerian media: an article entitled “Hearing defects: Draft agreement on cooperation with Poles” was published on the Internet, and in the daily “Liberté” a photo in which Rafał Sulich, a representative of the Institute of Sensory Organs, presents the Algerian minister health, Ould Abbes, operation of the Senses Research Platform – a portable device for screening hearing, sight and speech. The presentation of the Institute at the congress center was very popular, during which the hearing of a 10-year-old boy was tested in the presence of doctors and journalists.
The talks undertaken during the fair are continued and it should be assumed that the idea of early detection and treatment of communication disorders in children will go beyond Europe and will embrace African countries as well.