Montreal-For several years Dr. Hema Patel and a coalition of medical experts have
lobbied for universal screening of all newborns for hearing impairment and their efforts are starting to pay off with a government promise to test the hearing of all newborn children finally inching forward after years of planning. The procedure, which is standard in many other Canadian provinces, would help
medical authorities equip hearing-impaired newborns with hearing aids
immediately upon detection of their condition. Detection is considered urgent because every day that a young child
suffers a lack of auditory stimulus puts a roadblock to that child’s
development.