May the 10th 2017 is the 5th anniversary of the opening of the World Hearing Center (WHC), an extremely important institution for the development of science and the search for new ways to diagnose and treat the defects of senses. The originator, creator and director of the institution is prof. Henryk Skarżyński. The WHC is located in Kajetany near Warsaw and is both a modern hospital with unique medical equipment, providing medical services at the highest world-class level, with a huge technical background, as well as a well-prepared educational center conducting extensive research and education activities and training specialists from around the world, in the field of medicine, clinical engineering, speech therapy, surdopedagogy and surdopsychology.
– Before the World Hearing Center was built, I knew exactly where we were going to – recalls prof. Henryk Skarżyński – We wanted to create from scratch the scientific and clinical facilities which would allow the scientists from Poland and the world solve the most complex problems and undertake the most unique challenges in the field of innovative technologies. Today I can say with satisfaction that we have achieved this goal. The World Hearing Center is ‘global’ not only by its name – it is a place where innovative procedures in the fields of otosurgery, rehabilitation and hearing disorders diagnosis are being performed as the first in Poland or in the world – adds Professor.
The world Hearing Center was built in record time of 15 months, and its opening ceremony was honored with the presence of representatives of politics, economy, business, church, media and scientists from Poland and around the world.
– The Center is a showcase of Polish medicine – says prof. Skarżyński – our achievements have been recognized and rewarded by the highest authorities in Poland from the very beginning. The WHC is frequently visited by representatives of government, parliament and foreign delegations. Our center was also visited by the First Ladies of Poland, Slovakia, Azerbaijan and Estonia. All our guests always emphasize that the WHC is unique on a global scale, and the conditions it provides to patients should be an example for other hospitals – Professor proudly adds.
Within five years from the opening of the World Hearing Center prof. Skarżyński launched six pioneering implantation programs for new auditory implants such as Codacs, Bonebridge, Baha 4 Attract System, MET, Synchrony and Vibrant Soundbridge with LP-Coupler. Practically that means that Polish patients of the WHC have access to the newest technologies as the first in the country and one of the first in the world. This is a very tangible proof of the clinical and scientific position of the Center.
Currently patients, doctors, scientists and students have over 20,000 square meters of space including: 6 operating rooms, several dozen of diagnostic offices which support several hundreds of patients daily, 2 multimedia studios-part of the National Teleaudiology Network, 7 conference rooms which can hold 800 people as well as an education center with modern equipment for surgical exercises on anatomic preparations and computer simulators, where 40 people can train at the same time. Around 60-70 hearing improvement surgeries are performed every day at the WHC – the most in the world in the field of othorinolaringology, audiology and phoniatrics. It needs to be highlighted and appreciated that the specialists from the Center implant 5.500 auditory implants which places the WHC at the forefront of the world. The facility is also a well-functioning and organized enterprise that gives work to over 400 employees.
The 5th anniversary of the World Hearing Center opening in not the only special event in 2017. This year we are also celebrating the 25th anniversary of the first implantation of cochlear implant by prof. Skarżyński to a deaf person, the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the “Preservation of existing pre-operative auditory debris” program and the 15th anniversary of the first in the world of cochlear implant surgery for a person with partial deafness also by prof. Henryk Skarżyński. On this occasion an attempt to beat the Guinness Record in the category “Meeting in one place and time the largest number of people with auditory implants” will be organized.