Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,is a country in South Asia. It is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the south, the Gulf of Oman on the southwest, and the Sir Creek on the southeast, it shares land borders with India to the east; Afghanistan to the west; Iran to the southwest; and China to the northeast. It shares a maritime border with Oman in the Gulf of Oman, and is separated from Tajikistan in the northwest by Afghanistan's narrow Wakhan Corridor. Pakistan is a diverse society with estimates suggesting it has between 75 and 85 languages. Urdu and English serve as the official languages, with Urdu being the country's lingua franca among over 75% of Pakistanis.

Incidence and Prevalence of Hearing Loss

According to recent national estimates based on World Health Organization (WHO) data that were presented at a hearing-health seminar in 2024, 14.5 million Pakistanis suffer from some form of hearing loss (The News, 2024). This number highlights a pervasive burden that national health planning has not adequately addressed. When applied to the 2023 national census count of 241 million people, complementary data from official government sources, such as the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Health briefings, place the prevalence rate at approximately 4.8% of the total population, or roughly 11.6 million people (Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, 2023). These estimates show a significant and expanding need for comprehensive audiological services, early detection programs, and fair access to rehabilitative care nationwide, even though they differ slightly amongst reporting bodies.

History of Audiology and Aural Care

Hearing Care Services

Professionals providing hearing care services

Clinicians and public health researchers continue to pay attention to childhood and early-onset hearing loss, which is significantly higher than many global averages, according to recent studies and reviews from Pakistan. The prevalence of congenital/early-onset hearing loss varies between community and school studies (~1.9% in a recent school-based sample and higher estimates up to ~7-8% reported in other regional work), and some estimates suggest higher rates than generally believed. These findings highlight a significant, partially avoidable disease burden that requires primary care intervention. (Bhatti et al., 2024; Shaikh, 2024; Mazlan et al., 2024).

Unlike higher-income nations, Pakistan does not have a national newborn hearing screening program that is both universal and well-resourced. Screening programs are dispersed; some hospitals, NGOs, and specialty centers conduct focused screening or pilot programs, but coverage is restricted and not yet integrated into regular primary-care interactions across the country (WHO/World Hearing Day activities in Pakistan have promoted primary EHC, but large-scale adoption remains early). This indicates that many newborns and kids with hearing loss are discovered after the fact. (World Hearing Day report from WHO; PIRS activities).

One of the biggest Community Health Workers platforms in the world, Pakistan's Lady Health Worker program has been effective in promoting maternal and child health. The potential of Lady Health Workers to expand their skill set to include referral tasks, basic screening questions, and hearing promotion has been highlighted in a number of reports, pilot projects, and international actors; however, formal, scaled training and supervisory integration for ear/hearing tasks are scarce. Results are encouraging but limited in the areas where hearing work has been attempted (seminars, small pilot trainings). (World Hearing Day/PIRS seminar reports; Hafeez et al., 2011).

Major cities (Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad/Rawalpindi, etc.) are the main locations for audiology and ENT services, including cochlear implantation, diagnostic testing, and hearing aids. Audiology services are offered by a number of academic hospitals and private clinics; gaps are also filled by charitable organizations and visiting surgical missions (for instance, charity ENT/implant projects have supported children with middle-ear disease and cochlear implants). However, low-income and rural patients continue to face significant barriers to access due to geography and cost. (Hospital program pages; local listings; ENT/audiology charity reports).

Initiatives for hearing and aural care are increasing with training, awareness events, and referral pathway developments with some examples being Seminars (World Hearing Day events), brief training pilots introducing WHO Primary Ear & Hearing Care concepts (through organizations like PIRS), and recent work on clinical practice guidelines and primary-care referral pathways for ENT conditions (a 2025 primary care/ENT guideline development effort). Some facilities, like the Indus Hospital, have tested telepractice and tele-audiology during COVID-era service adjustments. Scalability is still the main obstacle, but these initiatives indicate growing awareness and preliminary efforts to incorporate ear care into public health care.

Audiological services

Services offered by Otolaryngologists, Otologists, and Otoneurologists

Role of primary health care providers and community health workers in hearing care

Laws related to hearing care services

Education and Professional Practice

Education of professionals working in hearing care services

Professional and Regulatory Bodies

Scope of Practice and Licensing

Audiology Research

Audiology Charities

Challenges and Opportunities

Acknowledgments

References

Author Information

References

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Dawn. (2015, November 22). Only two audiologists in Punjab’s public hospitals. Dawn News. https://www.dawn.com

Glantz, G. (2021). Pricing strategies in hearing healthcare. The Hearing Journal, 74(8), 22–23.

Hafeez, A., Mohamud, B. K., Shiekh, M. R., Shah, S. A., & Jooma, R. (2011). Lady health workers programme in Pakistan: Challenges, achievements, and the way forward. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 61(3), 210–215.

Indus Hospital & Health Network. (2023). Cochlear Implant Treatment Program Report 2022–2023. Lahore, Pakistan: TIH.

Irfan, M. (2024). Outcomes of newborn hearing screening in a tertiary care hospital in Lahore. Pakistan Journal of Otolaryngology, 40(1), 17–22.

International Medical Relief Agency. (2021). IMRA Medical Society has completed 100 cochlear implants in Pakistan. Medical News PK. https://www.medicalnews.pk

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Mazlan, R., & Dar, H. (2024). Parental attitudes and awareness regarding childhood hearing loss in Pakistan. BMC Pediatrics, 24, Article 740.

Mumtaz, Z., Levay, A., Bhatti, A., & Salway, S. (1995). Exploring health-seeking behaviour in Pakistan. Health Policy and Planning, 10(3), 242–248.

Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal. (2024). Cochlear Implant Sponsorship and Assistive Devices Program. Government of Pakistan.

Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. (2023). Population and housing census 2023: National results. Government of Pakistan. https://www.pbs.gov.pk Pakistan Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences. (2012). BS Audiology program overview. Islamabad: PIRS.

Pyarali, M., Akhtar, S., Adeel, M., Mallick, S. A., Uneeb, S. N., & Aslam, A. (2023). Universal newborn hearing screening: A tertiary-care pilot study in Karachi. Journal of the Pakistan Medical Association, 73(9), 1788–1793.

Rentech Digital. (2024). Count of registered audiologists in Pakistan. Pakistan Business Directory Dataset.

Saqulain, G., Pervaiz, A., Qazafi, L., Zahid, K., & Sami, M. (2024). Awareness and practices related to hearing healthcare in Pakistan: A cross-sectional study. Pakistan BioMedical Journal, 7(5), 8–13.

Shaikh, R. (2024). Prevalence and risk factors of congenital hearing loss in school-aged children in Sindh. Sindh Journal of Public Health, 12(2), 45–52.

Shah, S. I., Rehman, A., Siddiqui, A., & Yasmeen, S. (2024). Speech and auditory outcomes after cochlear implantation in Pakistani children. Journal of Ear, Nose & Throat Disorders, 9(1), 12–19.

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World Health Organization. (2021). World report on hearing. WHO. Ziauddin College of Speech Language & Hearing Sciences. (2013). Bachelor of Audiology and Speech-Language Therapy program outline. Karachi: Ziauddin University.

		Contributors to the original text
Mamoon Ali	Amina Siddiqui

Edited by Nausheen Dawood