Mauritius: A new community health centre, with the capacity to cater for some 10 000 residents, was inaugurated yesterday at Pointe aux Sables. The project, to the tune of Rs 29.1 m and which involved the demolition of an old single-storey structure as well as the construction of a new two-storey building, started in October 2021.
The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal; the Parliamentary Private Secretary, Mrs Dorine Chukowry; the Lord Mayor of Port Louis, Mr Mahfooz Moussa Cadersaib; the World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Mauritius, Dr Anne Marie Ancia; and other personalities were present at the inauguration ceremony.
In his address for the occasion, the Minister of Health and Wellness pointed out that in line with the vision of the Government to improve health services and outcomes for the population, health infrastructure development continues to take place across the Republic. He, thus, recalled the inauguration of a Mediclinic in Coromandel last month.
According to Dr Jagutpal, the new community health centre at Pointe aux Sables reflects the commitment of the Ministry to provide efficient health services delivery with emphasis on the decentralisation of activities, customer care, enhancement of primary health care, health promotion, preventive medicine, and targeted response to non-communicable diseases (NCDs).
The Minister recalled that despite the latest NCDs survey indicating a slight decrease in the prevalence of diabetes in the population, the figures were cause for concern. The Mauritius NCDs survey 2021 revealed that the standardised prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes in the population was 19.9%, while the prevalence of pre-diabetes was 15.9%.
Moreover, the Minister highlighted that the health personnel in community health centres were trained to provide an array of medical services. These include basic primary health care; screening for diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, and breast and cervical cancers; antenatal and well-baby clinics; vaccination services; sensitisation of the community on NCDs, nutrition, vaccination and family planning; and psychosocial counselling regarding the harmful use of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs. According to Dr Jagutpal, the provision of dental services in community health centres is also being considered.
The Health Minister urged residents of Pointe aux Sables to make good use of the new community health centre and appealed to the health personnel to treat patients with care and respect.
