King Salman Addresses Health Meeting, Reaffirms Saudi Arabia’s Commitment to Healthcare Reform

King Salman addressing congregation at a health meeting in Saudi Arabia

The Cabinet Secretary for Health, Hon. Aden Duale, officially launched Kenya’s Electronic Cochlear Implants and Newborn Hearing Screening (NHS) Program for Children at the Villa Rosa Kempinskki yesterday April 17,2025.

This groundbreaking program is a joint effort between the Ministry of Health and the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief). It targets childhood hearing loss, which affects 14 out of every 1,000 Kenyan children ten times higher than in wealthier countries.

“This is a new chapter for every child to hear, learn, and grow,” Hon. Duale said in his keynote speech.

He highlighted how children in low-income and rural areas are especially affected. Many cases go undetected due to lack of diagnosis, even though conditions like neonatal jaundice and frequent ear infections are preventable causes.

Duale stressed the importance of early screening. Without it, hearing loss can delay speech and learning, and cause long-term social and economic struggles.

But with timely care, these outcomes can be changed.The program builds on Kenya’s 2023–2028 National Ear and Hearing Care Strategic Plan and the Universal Health Coverage agenda. So far, 160 cochlear implant surgeries have been done at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and private facilities.

Pilot newborn hearing screenings are underway at Machakos, Garissa, and Kenyatta National Hospital. ENT surgeon training is ongoing at the University of Nairobi and KNH.Hearing aids are now part of the 2023 Kenya Essential Medical Supplies List, and partially covered by insurance through the Social Health Authority.

Diagnostic tools have been distributed to 25 health centers, and community health workers are receiving updated training. Hearing screening will also be added to school health programs.

Hon. Duale praised the support of KSrelief and Saudi Arabia, calling it essential to the program’s success.

“This partnership is not just about medical aid it’s about restoring dignity, opportunity, and hope,” he said.

The message is clear: with early action and modern technology, no child in Kenya should grow up in silence.

By Allan Wandera