Samoa Hearing Program

The overarching goal of the Samoa Hearing Program is to increase the quality and accessibility of hearing services in Samoa to address hearing loss and preventable deafness in Samoa.

In support of this goal, the key objectives of this program are to:

• increase the operating capacity and reach of hearing services in Samoa;
• build the capacity within the Samoan health workforce to deliver healthy hearing services.

Some of the key program activities and outputs:

The program will include a focus on the following activities will over the four years: 

• provision of audiology and equipment (tympanometer and audiometer) to support screening of patients at the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Unit at Tupua Tamasese Meaole (TTM) Hospital;
• construction of four audiology booths at the ENT clinic at TTM Hospital;
• construction and provision of two mobile hearing trailers to support community outreach;
• training for hospital staff in equipment set-up, use and maintenance;
• procurement of hearing aids, batteries, and other commodities to support hearing services provided to the community by SENESE (a Samoan disability support organisation);
• delivery of WHO Primary Ear Health Care training to primary health care workers, disability workers and medical staff in 5 districts;
• delivery of training to midwives and nurses in ear health screening of new-borns and children at the TTM and Savaii Hospital;
• identification and enrolment of suitable candidates in Queensland University of Technology (QUT) online Audiometrist program;
• identification of suitable candidates from TTM hospital and Samoan Universities and support for their enrolment in the Master’s program funded by Australian Awards;
• development of a patient referral database system to improve data collection and referral pathways; and
• advocacy with the Ministry of Health to enable integration of Audiology and Audiometrist roles into the hospital structure.

The desired impact of this program is that newborns, children, and adults will have better health outcomes as a result of increased access to quality services in early detection and treatment of hearing conditions.

The program will be implemented over four years from July 2019 – June 2023.

Supported by: 

The Australian Government under the Samoan Disability Partnership Project

In partnership with:

• Samoan Ministry of Health
• Tupua Tamasese Meaole (TTM) Hospital
• SENESE