Morocco launches national program of neonatal screening for deafness

Morocco has launched on Wednesday the national program of neonatal screening for deafness, an essential tool for the early detection of deafness in infants, that can help improve their social and academic development, reduce health care costs and provide parents with peace of mind.

The launch ceremony was chaired by Princess Lalla Asmae, President of the Lalla Asmae Foundation for Deaf Children, at the Abderrahim Harouchi Mother & Child Hospital in Casablanca.

Head of the program and treasurer of the Foundation, Karim Essakalli, made a presentation on the occasion underlining the multiple benefits of early hearing screening to detect deafness in infants, including improvement of their social and academic development, and reducing health care costs.

He highlighted the personal involvement of Princess Lalla Asmae in the national program of neonatal screening for deafness, noting that the Foundation for deaf children will set up a center for diagnosis and rehabilitation of hearing in Casablanca, an initiative that will certainly be duplicated in all regions of the Kingdom.

Minister of Health and Social Protection, Khalid Ait Taleb, also made a presentation underlining the overhaul of the national health system and the recommendations of the general report of the new development model which promotes the implementation of a policy of prevention and health promotion.

He recalled that the Ministry of Health and the Lalla Asmae Foundation for Deaf Children institutionalized the national health program relating to the screening and management of neonatal deafness in October 2022.

During the launch ceremony, the Princess presided over the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding and two agreements. The memorandum of understanding is related to the prevention and early management of deafness among newborns in the Casablanca-Settat region.

The MoU provides for the financing by the Council of the Casablanca-Settat region of the equipment of 21 maternity hospitals in the region with acoustic otoemission devices for neonatal screening of deafness, as well as the training of medical staff who will use them (midwives, pediatricians, gynecologists, nurses). It also provides for the establishment of a center for diagnosis and rehabilitation of hearing in Casablanca (CDRA) by the Lalla Asmae Foundation.

The two other agreements are related to the financial and administrative support of the international projects of the Foundation for deaf children, and to the partial reimbursement of cochlear implants by health insurance.