Surgeons helping treat hearing loss in Malawi

Chiko Chabaluka, Prof Chris Raine, Wsakisa Mulwafu and Dave Strachan have been working together for 10 years

A team of hearing specialists based in Bradford are celebrating a decade of helping treat patients more than 5,000 miles away in Malawi.

For the past 10 years, surgeons and audiologists from Bradford Royal Infirmary have been travelling to the east African country in their spare time to share their expertise.

Over that time, they have helped train community-based ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeons to diagnose and treat a variety of conditions.

Prof Chris Raine said the team had worked hard to improve conditions for people in the country.

Cochlear hearing implants have revolutionised the treatment of hearing loss in the past 40 years

The work of the team from the hospital's Listening for Life Centre is being highlighted to coincide with World Hearing Day on 3 March.

Prof Raine said: “Hearing loss is an ‘invisible disability’ which can have a huge impact on those affected, especially with socialising, employment and in the case of children their education.

“As with most low-income countries, most causes of deafness can be prevented.

“We are delighted that we can share our expertise to bring hearing to the adults and children of Malawi.

"And our mission fits succinctly with this year’s World Hearing Day theme which is 'let’s make ear and hearing care a reality for all'.”

The team has carried out 20 cochlear implant operations since it first started going to Malawi

ENT surgeon David Strachan first visited Malawi in 2013 while on holiday.

He and colleague Chris Bem now work closely with two audiologists, Chiko Chabaluka and Mwanaish Phiri, based at the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, in Blantyre, and have established a cochlear implant program for children with profound hearing loss.

“Cochlear implantation has totally revolutionised the treatment of severe and profound hearing loss over the past 40 years," Mr Strachan said.

“With the donation of cochlear implants [from MedEl] the work in Malawi has shown that specialists working in low economic settings can be trained to successfully implant severe to profoundly deaf patients.

"However the main stumbling block going forward is the financial issues and whether patients or healthcare systems are able to finance such life-changing interventions.”

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