Ratmalana Audiology Centre with Dialog backing on mission giving back to society
Saturday, 21 February 2015 00:34
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By Shehana Dain
Ratmalana Audiology Centre (RAC) is Sri Lanka’s first state-of-the art centre for testing and treating hearing impaired children and adults. They specialise in detection of hearing deficiencies in infants at very early stages.
Dialog Axiata staying true to its inclusive business model has funded the Rathmalana Audiology Centre as a gift for the Ceylon School for the Deaf and Blind from its commencement in 2007 and continues to do so ever since. Dialog Axiata official commented, “We want to make sure every Sri Lankan citizen can communicate and also transfer data. We want to give this to everybody even to people with disabilities.”
The building consists of state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment, rooms equipped with group hearing aid systems, an individual speech therapy room, a counselling room, a hearing aid dispensing unit and a hearing aid repair unit and thus functions as a ‘one stop shop’ for the hearing impaired providing the end user a complete solution.
RAC provides audiological testing, speech language assessments, sale of hearing aids and ear moulds and accessories and ENT consultation as their key services. The centre also offers after care services for the hearing impaired patients such as speech therapy counselling and hearing aid repairs.
The centre is the best choice because they offer total solutions identifying the problem, the level of experience knowledge and expertise of the professionals is very high and 100% commitment is assured by the management.
The centre provides free consultation for the school children and low income families while charging a fair price to the general public. RAC consultant Amal Rodrigo said, “We are not profit driven; the management doesn’t pressurise us to make profits; our whole purpose is to preserve quality of life.”
RCA also provides free neonatal hearing screening at birth in Kalubowila and Kethumathi hospitals. RCA Audiologist Renuka Fonseka stressed, “Generally about 10% of new born babies are prone to hearing impairment. People always wait till cases become very severe; wait up to age 3-5 and take action which makes it very difficult to give a complete solution.”
One out of 10 people are suffering from hearing loss and most people are unaware of it. Rodrigo pointed out, “When we have a loss of sight we become very cautious and we tend to know it’s our problem but if we have a hearing loss we tend to blame others or resolve to it wasn’t loud enough not realising we are facing a problem.”
He highlighted the Sri Lankan manufacturing sector; mainly the garment industry workers who need special attention regarding hearing impairment but the HR managers do not give adequate attention to this issue.
Pix by Upul Abayasekara
