Pinetown toddler receives cochlear implant under new programme
The family of a Pinetown toddler who was among the first to receive a cochlear implant under a public health programme says they are overjoyed that their little girl can hear again.
Little Uminathi Mafisa's parents had been trying to get help for her for about a year since she lost her hearing at 12 months old.
Her mother, Kwenzekile, says she was among the first to receive a cochlear implant under the KwaZulu-Natal Auditory Implant Programme, launched in 2021.
The mum and dad were overjoyed when their daughter's implant was switched on at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital on Thursday.
"We are very happy for this day today that she can hear. Before she lost her hearing, she was modelling after we saw that she had lost her hearing, we said, 'You know what? Let's just focus on her and then we stopped with the agency. It has been 18 months ever since we started this journey.
"We have never thought we will come to this day. Now we can take her to any school because we were so worried that we need to look for a school.
It is not only Uminathi who is suffering from loss of hearing. It goes as deep as who is going to babysit her. We need to look for a babysitter who is fully equipped for her. So it is not something we take lightly."
