Jordan
Jordan
- Percent of children screened for hearing loss:
- Incidence of permanent hearing loss among newborns:
Current Status of Early Hearing Detection and Intervention for Children
The Middle East Association for Managing Hearing Loss (MEHA) initially became the signature lead program of Canada International Scientific Exchange Program (CISEPO). In May 1998, CISEPO brokered the formation of MEHA, an organization comprising senior representatives of Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian medical and academic establishments, along with community-based audiologists, educators, therapists and support personnel. The objectives of MEHA as the Middle East Association for Managing Hearing Loss were to: a) Promote and support cooperation in the region by advancing medical knowledge, public health and health services related to hearing loss; b) Contribute to stability and peacebuilding in the region by sponsoring medical, scientific and educational interactions among regional colleagues for cooperative cross-border international development purposes and thereby strengthening health systems. From 1999 until 2010 eight steering committee meetings were held in the region. His Royal Highness, Prince Firas bin Raad of Jordan, is the Patron of MEHA. Following the second MEHA steering committee meeting held in Tel Aviv in May, 2001, a regional MEHA Centre was established in Amman in memory of the late King Hussein.
MEHA operated continuously and effectively since its formation and through its programs impacted on national hearing health policy in Jordan (2007) and Israel (2010) through the implementation of universal newborn hearing screening, habilitation and family support programs. Over 800,000 babies have been screened in Jordan and over 320,000 babies have been screened in Israel. The intent is to bring universal newborn hearing screening to the West Bank as well. MEHA as the Middle East Association for Managing Hearing Loss focused on public health, medical and rehabilitative services and scientific and peacebuilding programs in the region related to hearing loss. As CISEPO's lead program, CISEPO received for MEHA projects Government of Canada grants through CIDA in 2001 in 2004 for the implementation of MEHA projects of on-the-ground programming for the early detection and management of hearing loss.
Demographics
- Population: 7,930,491 (July 2014 est.)
- Number of Annual Births (2012 est): 183,948
- Birth rate: 25.23 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
- Percent of GDP spent on health care (2011): 8.4%
- Percent of Health Care expenditures spent by government: 9.6%
- Physician density: 2.56 physicians/1,000 population (2010)
- Percent of newborns attended by skilled providers: 99%
- Infant Mortality: 15.83 (deaths/1,000 live births 2012)
- Literacy (age 15 and over can read and write): 93.4%
- Percent of children screened for hearing loss: under 25%
- Incidence of permanent hearing loss among newborns: 1.37 per 1000 infants
Publications about EHDI Programs in Jordan
- Ur Rehman M, Mando K, Rahmani A, Imran A, Ur Rehman N, Gowda K, Chedid F. Screening for neonatal hearing loss in the Eastern region of United Arab Emirates. East Mediterr Health J. 2012 Dec;18(12):1254-6. PubMed PMID: 23301401.
- Attias J, Al-Masri M, Abukader L, Cohen G, Merlov P, Pratt H, Othman-Jebara R, Aber P, Raad F, Noyek A. The prevalence of congenital and early-onset hearing loss in Jordanian and Israeli infants. Int J Audiol. 2006 Sep;45(9):528-36. PubMed PMID: 17005496.
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