National Hearing Week #HarBacchaSunega

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

NATIONAL HEARING WEEK is an initiative by MATANAND Welfare Foundation to raise awareness of hearing loss in children and highlight the challenges faced by such children and their families in India.

Hearing is an invaluable gift that connects us to the world around us, and it is our shared responsibility to safeguard it. In India almost 63 million people suffer from significant hearing loss which is about 6.3% of the population. It is estimated that 4 out of 1000 children in India suffer from severe to profound hearing loss with over 1 lakh hearing-impaired babies being born annually. It is also estimated that on average 30 out of 1000 school-going children have hearing problems, which may be temprorary or permanent.

Hearing loss in children under 3 years of age is often overlooked but can profoundly impact their development, learning and social skills. Without hearing a child cannot develop speech and language. Untreated hearing loss in children can delay or significantly impact speech, affect education and cause social isolation in later life.

This week-long annual campaign aims to educate people about hearing loss in children, the importance of early detection & action (within the first two years of life), and hearing restoration measures that are possible in our country. We have tied up with specialist doctors, healthcare influencers and the media (TV, digital, print, radio) to raise this awareness on a national scale through social media, news networks (print, digital, radio) and awareness events across India right from rural settings to metro cities.

I urge individuals, families, doctors, healthcare professionals and communities to come together during this campaign to promote early hearing check-ups by an ENT specialist (otolaryngologist) in infants, toddlers and young children, encourage open discussions on children's hearing loss, and support advancements in hearing restoration technologies.

So tag #HarBacchaSunega this #NationalHearingWeek and ensure no child is left unheard.

WATCH THE PRESIDENT'S VIDEO MESSAGE BY CLICKING HERE

Nikkhil K Masurkar

MPharm (UK), MRPharmS (UK RPS)

President - MATANAND Welfare Foundation

FOUNDING DOCTOR AMBASSADORS

Dr. Dwaipayan Mukherjee

M.S. (ENT)

AOI President

Kolkata (West Bengal)

Dr. Samir Bhargava

Dr. Dwaipayan Mukherjee

DLO (London), MS (ENT), DNB

(AOI) National President 2020 - 2021
(Prof) ENT,

HBT Medical College & Dr RN Cooper Hospital, Mumbai (Maharashtra)

Dr. Meenesh R. Juvekar

Dr. Dwaipayan Mukherjee

Dr. Meenesh R. Juvekar

M.S. ENT (EAR AND COCHLEAR IMPLANT)

Consultant - Bombay Hospital and Research Centre (Mumbai)

Director - Juvekars Nursing Home (Chembur)

Dr. Rajeev Pachauri

Dr. Yogesh Dabholkar

Dr. Meenesh R. Juvekar

M.S. (ENT)

Agra (U.P)

Dr. Neeraj Suri

Dr. Yogesh Dabholkar

M.S. (ENT)

Managing Director, Evara Hospital

Gandhinagar (Gujarat)

Dr. Yogesh Dabholkar

M.S. (ENT)

D Y Patil Hospital

Navi Mumbai (Maharashtra)

Dr. Mohnish Grover

Dr. Divya Prabhat

Dr. Mohnish Grover

M.S. (ENT)

Professor ENT & Additional Superintendent SMS Hospital

Jaipur (Rajasthan)

Dr. Bharathi M B

Dr. Divya Prabhat

Dr. Mohnish Grover

M.S. (ENT)

Senior Professor & HOD

JSS Hospital

Mysore (Karnataka)

Dr. Divya Prabhat

M.S. (ENT)

Jeevak Hospital

Mumbai (Maharashtra)

Dr. Rajan Bhargav

Dr. Divya Prabhat

M.S. (ENT)

Regency Hospital

Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh)

Signs of hearing loss in an infant or toddler under 3 years

Does not react to loud sounds
Does not seek out or detect where sound is coming from
Has stopped babbling and experimenting with making sounds
Still babbles but is not moving to more understandable speech
Does not react to voices, even when being held
Ear is missing or malformed at birth
Delayed language development
Children with hearing loss may have trouble speaking clearly or using sounds like "s", "sh", "f", "t", or "k".
Speech abnormalities: Children may speak too loudly or too softly, or in a high pitch. They may also pronounce words incorrectly.
Difficulty hearing: Children may have trouble hearing faint sounds or over background noise. They may also complain of a ringing sound in their ears (tinnitus).
Attention problems: Children may appear inattentive, daydream, or have trouble following instructions. They may also not respond when called.
Learning difficulties: Children may have trouble learning, or their grades may drop.
Other behaviors: Children may watch faces or lips intently, or seem startled when people come into their line of sight. They may also become easily frustrated.

Signs of hearing loss in school-going children over 3 years

Does not follow simple commands, such as “get your shoes,” or understand simple directions
Is easily frustrated or experiences communication breakdowns
Is falling behind with speech and communication skills
Cannot understand what you are saying unless they are looking directly at you
Cannot identify where sounds are coming from
Is exhausted at the end of school from concentrating to understand speech
Shows signs of behavioral problems or social difficulties
Experiences problems keeping up at school or grades slipping

Promoting Healthy Hearing for Children

National Hearing Week 2026

National Hearing Week 2026