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Forum: Speed should not compromise quality of care in audiology sector

We refer to Mr Ronald Pang’s letter “

We refer to Mr Ronald Pang’s letter “ (Aug 14). We thank Mr Pang for highlighting that more can be done to meet the increasing hearing needs of our seniors. Audiologists play a vital role in championing and managing hearing and balance health for adults and children. We are trained through a formal academic degree in Singapore and are represented by the Society of Audiology Professionals (Singapore). However, we would like to emphasise that the Society of Hearing Professionals does not represent the audiology community in Singapore, as its name suggests.  Mr Pang claimed in his letter that “quality of life remains low despite the money the Government has invested in grants to give them hearing aids”. Our Government’s initiatives and efforts through functional screening and the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund have helped provide earlier detection and rehabilitation. These initiatives have helped to provide better quality of life with improvements in patient outcomes. This has been published in the article “Hearing aid outcomes in Singapore’s public health service: A cross-sectional study”. We believe that Mr Pang’s letter is well-intentioned, and he genuinely wants to help every individual get “fitted faster”. However, there should not be a compromise on quality of care while we balance concerns of a business-driven hearing care model. We thank Mr Pang for his views and look forward to further discussion and engagement. President Society of Audiology Professionals (Singapore)