Durban - The parents of 2-year-old Uminathi Mafisa were delighted with her reaction to hearing their voices for the first time yesterday.
Uminathi underwent cochlear implant surgery recently and the device was switched on yesterday at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital.
The other patient who had his cochlear implant switched on yesterday was 43-year-old Xolani Sikhosana who suddenly lost his hearing last year.
A department statement said the cochlear implant functions by bypassing the damaged hair cells in the organ of hearing, the cochlear, and directly stimulates neurons in the functional auditory nerve, in this way providing the brain with access to sound.
Kwenzekile and Victor Mafisa from Pinetown, Uminathi’s parents, said they began noticing that their daughter had a hearing problem when she started crawling over a year ago.
“We decided to seek medical attention, which determined that indeed our daughter was deaf and had lost her speech.
“We had been attending speech therapy but also had hopes that she will be able to hear again, as she got older. When doctors told us there was an opportunity available for her to hear again, we knew God had heard our prayers,” Kwenzekile said.
Sikhosana’s mother said it had been difficult for her son when he lost his hearing last January.
“Xolani was a farmer and planted vegetables and supplied small SMMEs such as the School Nutrition Programme subcontractors, but since he lost his ability to hear, he kept to himself.’’
Sikhosana describes this new journey as a breath of fresh air. “It feels like I am getting a new chance to try again and be me all over again,’’ he said.
Dr Zandile Shezi, an audiologist and co-ordinator of the KZN Auditory Programme, said selection criteria guides who can benefit from the programme.
She said the implant is fitted and then the patient has to heal for four to six weeks and come back for the switch-on.
KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane visited the hospital to witness the switch-on. She said for now, only two public hospitals are able to provide the implant – Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital and Ngwelezana Hospital.
“The province is delighted to have success in this new division. We only started this programme over a year ago and with today’s switch-on, we are even more determined to welcome more patients in and allow them a chance to hear again or even hear for the first time.”