Kazakhstan rolls out unified system for early detection of hearing disorders

The tracking center at Almaty City Clinical Hospital No. 5 will coordinate audiological screening and support the rollout of a unified registry for patients with hearing disorders. Both projects are being implemented through the hospital's audiology competence center.

According to the ministry, the system was successfully tested under the ''I Hear'' pilot project, which involved three maternity hospitals, three primary healthcare organizations, and two audiology clinics in Almaty. The results confirmed the project's effectiveness and the need to expand it nationwide.

"With the opening of the tracking center, we will gradually connect all maternity hospitals and primary healthcare organizations in Almaty to the system. This will create a unified pathway for the early detection of hearing disorders and follow-up care for children," Marat Pashimov said at the opening ceremony.

The ''I Hear'' project supports children throughout every stage of care, from audiological screening and diagnosis to treatment, cochlear implantation and rehabilitation. The tracking center will receive screening results in real time, coordinate follow-up examinations through a fast-track referral system, and monitor children diagnosed with hearing disorders.

The ministry said the system has already demonstrated its effectiveness. Since the beginning of 2026, 11 children have been diagnosed with profound hearing loss early enough to receive cochlear implants and begin rehabilitation. Once expanded nationwide, the program is expected to provide annual audiological monitoring for more than 90,000 children, helping detect severe hearing impairment and profound hearing loss during the first year of life.

The ministry added that a unified registry of patients with hearing disorders will also be introduced, integrating data on both children and adults to ensure continuous care from diagnosis through treatment and rehabilitation.

Since the beginning of the year, specialists at the audiology competence center at City Clinical Hospital No. 5 have carried out more than 200 hearing restoration surgeries under Kazakhstan's compulsory social health insurance system and referred more than 400 patients for hearing aids. The center serves patients from across Kazakhstan, 58% of whom are residents of Almaty.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that more than 13,000 open-heart surgeries were performed in Kazakhstan in 2025.