Deaf children in UAE could be waiting years for specialist treatment

Dubai doctor warns that lack of experienced surgeons could lead to problems for the four per cent of babies born in the UAE with some kind of hearing impairment.

DUBAI // Hearing-impaired children could be forced to wait years for corrective surgery because of a lack of specialists.
Austrian surgeon Dr Georg Sprinzl says the shortage of experts in cochlear implants is causing long waiting lists to treat a problem that needs to be diagnosed as early as possible.
About 4 per cent of babies born in the UAE have some kind of hearing impairment, health professionals say.
"Testing for hearing loss at birth is so important. The earlier you can diagnose, the better the outcome is," Dr Sprinzl said.
"If we get the child at 2 years old, there's a 90 per cent chance of them going to a normal school without any special needs.
"In Arab countries the prevalence of hearing loss in children is slightly higher than in Europe. It is a problem in the UAE due to intermarriage and genetics.
"There is a lack of experienced surgeons working in this region, so there is a reliance on surgeons to come from elsewhere.
"There is an overload of patients who won't get the chance to see a specially trained doctor."
Dr Sprinzl said waiting lines would only grow as awareness of childhood hearing problems increased, if the shortage of specialists were not addressed.
Authorities are calling for all newborns to have their hearing tested to provide earlier help for those with problems.
Dr Sprinzl is heavily involved in clinical teaching and has been invited to perform surgery in several countries. He has been operating in Dubai for two years.
He said it took 10 years to train doctors for this type of surgery.
Although surgical robots are a possible alternative, they are still some way off and provide ethical problems for some patients, Dr Sprinzl said.
"And people want social interaction with their doctor but robotic surgery is something we are working on," he said.
Long-term effects of childhood hearing impairment can include social isolation and depression.
Dr Hussain Al Rand, assistant undersecretary for health centres and clinics at the Ministry of Health, has introduced testing for hearing on newborns in Dubai Health Authority hospitals, and hopes it will be taken up elsewhere.
Dubai Healthcare City has responded to a lack of specialists in various fields by expanding its licensing framework for overseas doctors.
It has added 34 countries to its approved list to help meet the area's changing health needs.
The framework now covers 63 countries, so even more health professionals will be able to work in the world's largest healthcare free zone.
Professionals from these new countries must have the required undergraduate and postgraduate education, training and certification, and meet requirements of examination, supervised clinical practice and case submission.
"When we first established the regulatory framework, we started with the countries and boards that were most developed, backed by accreditation and strong regulatory framework," said Dr Ramadan Ibrahim, of Dubai Healthcare City.
"We have since been aware of the need to review and update.
"We recognise that healthcare professionals from the list of new countries offer quality skills and expertise in accordance with DHCC's stringent set of medical standards."
The 34 added countries are from the Mena region, Eastern Europe, the subcontinent and South-East Asia.
"With regular reviews and reassessment of growing healthcare needs in the region, we are look to strengthen DHCC's regulatory framework," said Dr Raja Al Gurg, vice chairwoman of Dubai Healthcare City Authority.
"The updated licensing framework is in line with the agreement signed by UAE health authorities for the unification of medical licensing, and in line with the Dubai Smart Government initiative."
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