Bangalore, Mar 12, 2010: Leading Australian audiology service provider, NHC Group launched its operations in India. The Indian operation – NHC Hearing Care was launched on March 11, 2010.

NHC is an audiology group in Asia Pacific region focusing on the diagnosis and rehabilitation of hearing loss.

NHC will be opening its first three clinics in Delhi-NCR region this month with a milestone of opening eight clinics in New Delhi by June 2010. The launch in New Delhi and NCR will be followed by a roll out of hearing clinics across India.

In India, NHC will offer free hearing screening checks for persons with potential hearing problems. This will result in early detection and rehabilitation for individuals with hearing problems. ‪

As part of their launch in India, NHC has entered into an association with Columbia Asia Hospitals. NHC will provide a wide range of diagnostic and rehabilitative services to Columbia Asia patients and in doing so support the highly regarded Ear, Nose & Throat specialists within the hospital. These services will assist Columbia Asia to achieve the best hearing outcomes for their patients, with hearing impairment as well as with the post surgical rehabilitation of their patients with cochlear implants.

Speaking about the launch of NHC in India, NHC Group CEO, Mr Paul Mirabelle, NHC said, “NHC has strong historical ties with the Indian Universities and we look forward to bringing our audiology services to the Indian market. For many years now NHC has been employing clinical staff trained in Indian universities and we are delighted to be building on this tradition with our own clinic network here in India”.

The media release noted that NHC has dramatically extended their position in the Australian and New Zealand market through an aggressive growth plan executed over the last 36 months. During this period, the network has grown from 39 clinics to over 180 hearing clinics in Australia and New Zealand.

Hearing impairment is the most frequent sensory deficit in human population affecting over 250 million people globally. In India more than 25,000 children are born deaf every year and around eight to 10 percent of the adult population have a hearing disability. The Ministry of Health, Government of India has launched a project to focus on the prevention and early diagnosis of deafness, treatment of ear infections and other diseases causing hearing loss.

Through its Australian and New Zealand operations, NHC currently screens and treats over a quarter million people for hearing loss annually. NHC is independent of any hear aid manufacturer and offers a wide range of hearing devices to provide the best audiology outcomes possible.