UAE: Doctors help baby hear father's voice for the first time

A newborn who suffered from hearing loss in both ears heard his father's voice for the first time, thanks to the efforts of doctors at Tawam Hospital and Ambulatory Healthcare Services in Abu Dhabi.

Born on January 3 in Al Ain, baby Ishal's condition was diagnosed when she underwent a routine check at Oud Al Touba, Diagnostic and Screening Centre. Specialists at the centre immediately referred her to the hospital for evaluation.

The hospital's audiology team advised hearing aid fitting as early as possible to avoid any delay in speech and language development.

“Through our integrated and referral approach, we were able to give baby Ishal her hearing back," said ThahiraKallumurikkal an audiologist at the Oud Al Touba screening centre.

Ishal's father said they do have a history of hearing loss in the family.

“My sister, Ishal’s aunt, was born with bilateral sensory neural hearing loss. So, we were aware of the possible consequences if we did not fit the hearing aids for her as early as possible. Being deaf does not limit anyone's abilities, but we wanted our child to live a normal life," he said.

The father expressed his gratitude to the hospital, saying he is "forever indebted to them".

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