Tygerberg Hospital has appealed to residents to seek medical care if they have problems with their hearing, or their child is showing signs of hearing difficulty.

September is an International Deaf Awareness Month aimed at increasing awareness of the deaf and hard-of-hearing population.

In Cape Town, the northern suburbs mother of 11-year-old Gideon Brits, Leondra, said t the bone bridge implant on her son’s right ear, which was installed in March this year, has improved his hearing.

She didn’t feel comfortable revealing the suburb where she lived. She said there was a need for “more opportunities for deaf pupils to participate in any sport or apply for jobs”.

A deaf woman from Nyanga, Buchulekazi Xamlayo, said: “In hospitals, instead of relying solely on loudspeakers to announce names, they could utilise visual displays, such as screens to notify patients when it is their turn. This would assist,” she said.

Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness said, according to the 2021 World Hearing Report, around 12 million South Africans or 20% of the population were hard-of-hearing or deaf.

Tygerberg Hospital spokesperson Laticia Pienaar said their Audiology Department served 7 752 patients last year and that staff fitted at least 648 hearing aids, and 56 people received Cochlear implants.

Fatima Ally, who is an audiologist at Tygerberg Hospital, assisting patients with hearing difficulties, also suddenly lost her hearing in one ear in 2022 and received a cochlear implant recently, Ms Pienaar said.

Ms Ally said: “Not hearing in one ear was a real struggle for me, but I could better identify with the frustrations and hearing challenges which my patients experience.”

Jenny Birkenstock, Assistant Director for the Department of Speech Therapy and Audiology at Tygerberg Hospital, said: “Providing accurate information and raising awareness around hearing loss is the first step towards empowerment and improved access to ear and hearing services for individuals of all ages.”

11-year-old Gideon Brits lives with the bone bridge implant on his right-side ear. Picture: Supplied.