Désolé, cet article est seulement disponible en Anglais Américain. Pour le confort de l’utilisateur, le contenu est affiché ci-dessous dans une autre langue. Vous pouvez cliquer le lien pour changer de langue active.
Ontario has limited funding for providing cochlear implants, especially for adults. Currently there are 360 Ontarians on the waiting list for their first cochlear implant with a wait time of 1.5-2 years. There are also hundreds of adult Ontarians who would benefit from a second cochlear implant if there was any funding. While some designated hospitals across the province offer two sided (bilateral) cochlear implants to eligible children, such equivalent funding is not available for adults.
On April 4, Health Quality Ontario released a report on the value of providing two cochlear implants to eligible patients in Ontario, recommending that the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care publicly fund bilateral cochlear implantation for children and adults in Ontario.
All members of the public (including cochlear implant recipients, patients on the wait-list to receive implant, family members, friends, and patient advocates) have until April 24, 2018 to share their thoughts and feedback about this report here.
As all feedback from the public will be considered for finalizing this positive recommendation, patients and family members are encouraged to share their personal experience with cochlear implants on HQO website in support of this recommendation. They are particularly encouraged to share their journey and highlight the challenges faced before being implanted, and the impact that cochlear implants have made in their lives and the lives of their loved ones.
Please share this news! Ask everyone to share their thoughts about this positive recommendation and share their personal journeys and concerns about the current funding situation in Ontario, so our voices can be heard by the Ministry.
Join the conversation on Twitter with the hashtag #HearMeOntario to blast this news and ask the Ministry of Health to consider this recommendation.