SERIAN: The Community Care Enrichment Programme (CCEP) donated an Otoacoustic Emission (OAE) machine to Serian Hospital, strengthening Sarawak’s efforts to improve early detection of hearing impairments in infants.
The handover was held at Serian Hospital and was attended by Dr Carlos Jinung, Deputy Director of Serian Hospital; Yee Poo Yoon, Chief Executive Officer of the CCEP; and Shamina Sara Moses, Head of the Otorhinolaryngology (ORL) Service at Sarawak General Hospital, on Wednesday.
The contribution, made through the Sarawak State Health Department (JKNS), enhances the hospital’s capacity to conduct Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS).
This vital early-intervention programme detects hearing problems in infants before they impede speech and language development.
“The donation is timely as it supports wider access to newborn screening services, especially in the rural divisions, where early diagnosis can significantly improve long-term developmental outcomes,” JKNS said through a statement.
In conjunction with the handover, a Training of Trainers (ToT) course and a neonatal hearing screening training session were conducted for nurses and community nurses.
“The training focuses on the proper use of the OAE machine and on implementing UNHS in accordance with national clinical guidelines,” the statement said.
Furthermore, JKNS welcomes continued non-governmental organisations (NGO) collaboration to strengthen child health services across Sarawak, and urges parents to ensure their newborns undergo the simple, painless screening before discharge from the hospital.
