Year on, sole audiologist post remains vacant at Ludhiana civil hospital

The sole audiologist post at the civil hospital has been lying vacant for over a year, officials aware of the matter said.
They added that the among the primary responsibilities of the audiologist is conducting the Brain Evoked Response Auditory (BERA) test, essential for diagnosing hearing ailments among children aged 3 months and above.
The machines for the BERA test, conducted at the at the District Early Intervention Centre (DEIC), have now been covered.
According to DEIC officials, the Oto Acoustic Emission (OAE) test, vital for infants born prematurely or weighing less than 2.5 kg, has also been suspended.
Additionally, speech therapy services at the centre have been halted, leaving parents with no affordable treatment options for their children.
Kirti Raj, who has a 9-year-old boy who was earlier getting speech therapy at DEIC, said, “My son spoke his first word when he was five years old. It was during his first therapy session at DEIC. After two years of therapy, he was able to attend a government school. But now, we’ve been waiting for over a year. Private treatment is too expensive.”
Each speech therapy session costs nearly ₹1,000 at private hospitals. The BERA test costs ₹2,400 and many are unable to afford it.
DEIC school schemes in-charge Dr Arundeep said the centre received approval to soundproof the room for more accurate tests, but without an audiologist, work has been stalled. “We have submitted a request to fill the vacancy,” she added.
Dr Arundeep said the audiologist at DEIC also tends to the other patients at the civil hospital.
Civil surgeon Dr Pardeep Kumar Mohindra said, “The request to fill posts is usually submitted when the post becomes vacant. I will review when the request was made and follow up on the matter.”