Gbarnga, Bong County – Naomi Smith, a trained Liberian-Zambian Otologist or Hearing Specialist, is expected to be assigned to the C.B. Dunbar Hospital in Gbarnga by mid-February 2025.
The disclosure was made by Bishop Kortu Brown, Bishop of the New Water in the Desert Apostolic Pentecostal Church in Brewervill, Monrovia, Liberia.
According to Bishop Brown, Madam Smith was sent to Lusaka, Zambia, in February 2024 by Church Aid Liberia, the relief arm of the New Water in the Desert Apostolic Pentecostal Church to undergo a ten-month specialized certificate training program in Otology.
An otologist is a medical doctor who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of disorders related to the ear, including hearing loss, ear infections, balance disorders, and congenital ear conditions.
Following the completion of the ten mounts studies in Zambia, Madam Smith has been scheduled to take an assignment to the C.B. Dunbar Hospital, where she will be catering to the medical needs of people living with hearing impairment.
In a telephone interview with our reporter on Monday, January 27, 2025, Madam Smith commended Church Aid Liberia and the Administration of the New Water in the Desert Apostolic Pentecostal Church for the opportunity provided to her in pursuing a specialization in otology or hearing impairment.
Meanwhile, the Liberian-Zambian train Otologist is calling on residents of Bong and adjacent counties to take advantage of her stay in the county if their long-existing hearing difficulties are to be cured.
Madam Smith further assured individuals suffering from hearing impairment, especially those who have almost lost their sense of hearing that through a hearing device, their sense of hearing can be restored.
According to her, the cost of the instrument and other treatments are affordable and can be paid by anyone enduring hearing loss or difficulty, thus encouraging those affected not to worry about the cost attached to services to be offered.
It can be recalled in March 2024, Church Aid Liberia, with support from the Starkey Foundation and the Ministry of Health, launched a ”Free Ear Treatment” Campaign to Promote Hearing Healthcare in Gbatala, Lower Bong County.
During the launch of the campaign, several residents of Bong County trooped to Gbatala in Suakoko District and benefited from the free medical outreach, with a call to Church Aid and partners to continue such initiatives across Liberia.