In line with the President’s directive, Kazakhstan is set to launch production of assistive listening devices for hearing-impaired children, Qazinform News Agency reports. This was announced at a Government meeting chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov. According to the Ministry of Healthcare, more than 6,000 children with hearing impairments are registered for follow-up in Kazakhstan today.
Based on this group, the actual need for hearing aids will be determined, taking into account age, the degree of hearing loss, whether a device is already in use, its service life, and the requirement for individual adjustment. Bektenov entrusted the ministries of healthcare, industry and construction to adopt a road map on a prompt launch of production of hearing aids.
The document will also envision attraction of domestic producers, transfer of technologies and maintenance. Regional authorities were set a task to ensure financing for the procurement of hearing aids for children at the expense of local budgets and extra-budgetary sources.
Earlier, it was reported that Kazakhstan and South Korea had agreed to cooperate on the localization and joint production of pharmaceuticals in Kazakhstan.