Sat Feb 24

Cochlear Implant Day this Sunday

Written by Scott Tucker

GIVING THE GIFT OF SOUND TO INDONESIANS

Minister for Trade and Industry, Niall Blair this week met with cochlear implant recipients in Jakarta at the Cochlear Training and Experience Centre (CTEC), as part of a trade mission to Indonesia.

The centre was established in Jakarta by NSW Cochlear to help bring the gift of hearing to millions of Indonesians. Cochlear has maintained its leading position over the past 35 years because of its ongoing commitment to innovation.

Mr Blair said it was a great opportunity to see first-hand the wonderful work this Sydney company is doing here in Indonesia as it helps to bring the miracle of sound to residents of all ages who suffer from hearing impairments.

“The ability to hear is something most us take for granted. To see the joy and freedom these implants have bought to Indonesians is very special,” Mr Blair said.

“Cochlear is a trailblazer for Australian medical innovators on the world stage. They’re not only pushing boundaries in the innovation space but they’re also making sure we have well trained and skilled specialists on the ground.

“The work being done here in Indonesia brings great pride to me not only as the Minister for Trade but also as a fellow Australian.

“NSW has the biggest medical technology industry in Australia and we are in a strong position to continue to harness new export opportunities.”

This Sunday, 25 February marks the start of Hearing Awareness Week and International Cochlear Implant Day which make it a pertinent time to recognise the important work that centres like the CTEC do.

NSW Cochlear now holds over two-thirds of the worldwide hearing implant market. In the last financial year alone they sold more than 32,000 implants.

The NSW medical technology industry made a total economic contribution to the NSW economy of $2 billion in 2016-2017 and employs approximately 7000 people.

Case study 1 – Aziza Sakhia Supriyadi, 2-years-old, Jakarta

Aziza Sakhia Supriyadi, two years old, received her first cochlear implant in 2017 at Cipto Hospital in Jakarta.

Illian Deta Arta Sari, Aziza’s mother, said that through crowd funding and additional support from Indonesian Social Insurance agency BPJS the surgery was able to go ahead.

“Aziza has been wearing a cochlear implant for a bit over a year now, and I am so happy with her progress,” Illian said.

“Now she can speak with me. It's beyond our expectations. We are so glad."

“I now do volunteering to assist cochlea-implant candidates and I love to share my daughter’s hearing journey with them.”

Case study 2 – Kevin Tafianto, Jakarta, 21-years-old

Twenty-one-year-old Kevin Tafianto had cochlear implant surgery in Australia in 1998 when he was less than two-years-old.

"I have been wearing cochlear implants since I was 14 months old – and now at 21, I am able to study at university and I’m also trying to start my own food and beverage business.

“Having a cochlear implant has allowed me to have lots of friends and live a normal life. I am really, really grateful about it,” Kevin said.

Case study 3 – Ruby Loosemore, Ballina, 14-years-old

Fourteen-year-old Ruby Loosemore is one of many Australians whose life has been transformed by a cochlear implant, after receiving her first at just eight months old.

Diagnosed as profoundly deaf at birth, Ballina-based Ruby received her first cochlear implant in 2004, becoming the 1000th recipient of the device through the SCIC Cochlear Implant Program, a Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children service.

Ruby then received her second implant at age seven.

“Bilateral cochlear implants helped me pick up speech from a distance, separate a single speaker from background noise and most importantly determine which direction a sound is coming from,” Ruby said.

“It’s been a long journey but it’s been worth it. Being able to now connect sound and meaning, I can feel comfortable in lots of different environments. That’s really made me the strong and confident person I am today.”

“I am now extremely independent. I owe that not only to my own persistence, but also the support of my family and many services including the SCIC Cochlear Implant Program, the NSW Government, my coaches, caring friends and dedicated teachers.”