Cochlear Implant helps Lavinia a lot in her studiesMalaysian deaf students awarded for academic excellence on World Hearing Day 2021 KUALA LUMPUR, March 3 (Bernama) -- 20 year-old university student Lavinia proudly embraces her trophy and says “Finally I can fulfil my dream”. Detected with hearing loss at the age of 4, and now using the Cochlear Implants, Lavinia is one of the winners of the MED-EL Academic Excellence Award 2021.
In Malaysia, 3.8 per 1,000 new-borns have some kinds of hearing loss, if they do not get medical help in time, the door to verbal communication remains closed.
Each year, World Hearing Day is held to raise global awareness on the widespread topics of hearing loss and deafness. Themed “Hearing Care for All”, this year’s event on 3
rd of March called for action to address not only hearing loss but also ear diseases across the life course.
In order to support this global event, Malaysian branch of Austrian medical technology company MED-EL organised the industry’s first Academic Excellence Award. The award encouraged hearing-impaired or deaf students from as early as pre-school up to university to show their individual skills made possible by their MED-EL hearing implants. More than 60 contestants took part presenting activity unique to their capability (e.g., giving speeches, singing, dancing, playing musical instrument). Twelve of them shall be awarded as winners of four award categories (pre-school, primary school, secondary school, and tertiary level). The winners shall be invited to the Austrian Ambassador’s residence to receive trophies and cash prizes from the hands of His Excellency.
The award was aiming to shine a light on achievements of hearing implant users in their academic, co-curriculum involvement, and overall performance. All performances were judged by four renowned surgical experts from Malaysian Cochlear Implant centres: Prof Dr Dinsuhaimi Sidek (IIUM), Dato Prof Dr Prepageran Narayanan (UMMC), Prof Dr Goh Bee See (HUKM) and Prof Dr Tang Ing Ping (UNIMAS).
One of the main impacts of hearing loss is the ability to listen and communicate. Without proper and timely intervention, it could lead to a delay in the development of receptive and expressive communication skills (speech and language). In the past, those who suffered from severe-to-profound hearing loss were considered deaf and mute. Now, with the availability of local professionals and experts, these individuals can undergo »Cochlear Implant surgery«, a procedure involving the surgical placement of a medical device called Cochlear Implant. This device can restore the function of the Cochlea, and thus allow hearing loss individuals to regain their hearing capabilities.
About MED-EL MED-EL Medical Electronics, a leader in implantable hearing solutions, is driven by the mission to overcome hearing loss as a barrier to communication. The Austrian-based, privately owned business was co-founded by industry pioneers Dr. Ingeborg and Erwin Hochmair, whose groundbreaking research led to the development of the world's first micro-electronic, multi-channel cochlear implant. Successfully implanted in 1977, it was the basis for what is known as the modern Cochlear Implant today.
The MED-EL Cochlear Implant technology first arrived in Malaysia in 2004. This technology has benefited more than 600 hearing loss individuals in the country, allowing them to enjoy the beauty of sound.
Source: MED-EL Electronics Sdn Bhd FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Mr Woo Wan Kui
Country Manager, MED-EL MalaysiaTel: +603-7772 7466 / +6012-985 8880Email: WanKui.Woo@medel.com--BERNAMA
