Organization: ENT Clinic, Tupua Tamasese Meaole Hospital, Ministry of Health, SAMOA
Title: Providing ear and hearing care for children in Samoa: screening, diagnosis, medical/surgical intervention, and provision of hearing devices.
Al title (for format and translation – not permanent:
Providing ear and hearing care for children in Samoa: screening, diagnosis, medical/surgical intervention, and provision of hearing devices.
Description:
The ENT Clinic of Samoa were the delighted recipients of a Small Grant Award for World Hearing Day (WHD) 2026. Our grant application aligned closely with the WHD 2026 theme “From communities to classrooms”, and will support on-going activities under the Samoa ATScale project which aims to deliver assistive technology to school-aged children.
Formal translation of the WHD 2026 posters for parents, teachers and children was organized through the Samoa Language Commission (copies sent to Professor Karin Joubert, WHD Workstream). These posters were delivered to all schools visited during WHD 2026 events, and will eventually be placed in all schools in Samoa under the ATScale project. The ENT team also had T-shirts made with the WHD 2026 theme which were worn for events during WHD 2026, and will continue to be our uniform during the on-going ATScale project.
On World Hearing Day, the ENT Clinic performed an outreach visit to Le Amosa o Savavau Primary and Secondary School. Prior to screening, all students listened to a health talk. This was the first time our ENT outreach included high-school students, and their health message advised enjoying music at a safe volume and not sharing earbuds (extra high risk of sharing otitis externa in our climate!). All students received an ear examination, followed by ear wax removal if required (approximately at third of students), followed by tympanometry. Hearing tests were attempted but equipment malfunctioned (heat and humidity)! Students who warranted further review and formal hearing testing at the ENT Clinic were identified for follow-up. We were accompanied on our outreach visit by the Ministry of Health Media team who prepared a press release and shared the WHD message widely on social media in Samoa. The ENT Clinic also posted our activities on the World Hearing Day global live event.
On Wednesday the 4th and Tuesday the 10th March, the ENT Clinic performed an outreach to the Anglican pre-school and primary school, respectively. Activities were the same as those described for the school visit above.
On Thursday-Friday (5-6 March), the ENT Clinic delivered the WHO Primary Ear and Hearing Care (PEHC) Training to 17 doctors and nurses from the district hospitals and health centers of the main island Upolu. The course has previously been accredited by the Samoan Qualifications Authority, and this is the fifth time that the ENT team have delivered the training. All participants were equipped at the completion of the course with otoscopes, suction machines for earwax removal and aural toilet, tuning forks for hearing screening, and the Samoan versions of the WHD2026 posters to display in their clinics.
The PEHC Training was formally opened with a keynote address from Dr Robert Thomsen, the Deputy Director General of Public Health Services. Dr Robert was further happy to show his advocacy for WHD by preparing a letter of support for UN recognition of WHD as an International Day. Along with letters from Annette (Principal Audiologist) and Dr Sione (Head of ENT Clinic and President of the Pacific ENT and Audiology Group), these three letters of support were submitted to the World Hearing Forum Advocacy workstream responsible for this initiative.
Building on previous work in the area of occupational hearing loss, Annette was able to arrange an initial consultation with the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Labour to collaborate on Occupational Health and Safety law/regulations regarding hearing health. She was also able to arrange preliminary discussions with the Head of the Faculty of Technical Education at the National University of Samoa to discuss strategies to address occupational hearing loss among their staff and students, including health education and clinical on-site hearing testing.
Primary site: WPR – Samoa
Region: WPR
Impactful Story:
Ear and hearing problems are commonly seen at our clinic. After completing the two-day workshop, I feel more confident in my skills to help people who come to our clinic. We see a lot of adults and children with impacted earwax, and I am happy we can now do something for these patients in our clinic rather than refer them to the ENT Clinic at the main hospital. Travel can be difficult for many patients. I also feel more confident now in recognizing urgent cases. I really enjoyed the training, especially the role-playing scenarios were a lot of fun!
General Photos
Group photo of outreach visit to Le Asmosa o Savavau School
Group photo of outreach to All Saints Anglican Preschool
ENT Team with All Saints Primary School staff
Group photo from PEHC Training Workshop
Types of Engagement:
Live event: Yes
Screening: Yes
Traditional media: Yes
Social media: Yes
Special needs populations:
Met with individual policymaker: Yes
Participation of policy makers: Yes
Participation of influencers: No
WHO technical tool used: Yes
WHO educational and social media used: Yes