Mauritius: The opening of a modern cardiac centre equipped with the latest technologies at Côte d’Or was announced by the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, in a ceremony to mark World Heart Day 2023 on Saturday, 30 September 2023, at Swami Vivekananda SSS, Souillac. The theme celebrated this year is “Use Heart, Know Heart”.
The Minister of Finance, Economic Planning and Development, Dr Renganaden Padayachy, Parliamentary Private Secretary, Muhammad Ismael Rawoo, Representative of the World Health Organization in Mauritius, Dr Anne Marie Ancia and other personalities were present for the event, which aimed at sensitising the population on the potential risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases and to elaborate on the measures implemented by the Government.
According to Dr Jagutpal, the initiative to set up a new cardiac centre encompasses the vision of the Prime Minister, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, and the Ministry of Health and Wellness to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Mauritius.
He pointed out that cardiovascular diseases are the most prominent cause of death locally and globally.
He recalled that in 2022, 4 377 deaths were due to cardiovascular diseases, including 2 636 deaths from coronary heart disease. In Mauritius, heart disease causes 20% of deaths, while heart disease associated with diabetes causes an additional 10% of deaths annually. The Minister stated that 974 open-heart surgeries were performed at the Cardiac Centre last year.
The Minister spoke of introducing a new service called the Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI), which facilitates a heart patient to receive prompt treatment at the hospital: immediate diagnosis by a cardiologist and angioplasty.
Dr Jagutpal pointed out that this initiative has benefited in saving several patients’ lives, and 358 angioplasties have already been carried out since its implementation. He further outlined the significant progress following the set-up of the National Guidelines by the Ministry:
- The prevalence of diabetes decreased to 19.9% in 2021.
- Pre-diabetes prevalence decreased to 15.4%.
- The stabilisation of hypertension uplifted to 27.2%, and the rate of smokers reduced to 18.1%.
On this note, Minister Jagutpal announced the launching of a National Service Framework for NCDs’ and the National Integrated NCD Action Plan 2023-2028. This national strategy aims to come up with more preventative measures to regulate the prevalence of NCDs in Mauritius, he added.
He underlined that following the data collected through the National Nutrition Survey in 2022, the Ministry, with the collaboration of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), has established a Flour Fortification Programme that shall be in effect as of 01 October 2023. He asserted that this measure will enhance the composition and quality of flour as well as maintain a healthier population.
He also listed several screening campaigns that mobile clinics around the island will strategically implement, targeting workplaces and secondary schools. This strategy will help diagnose diabetes, hypertension, and obesity, among others.