Mauritius: The Coromandel Mediclinic, constructed to the tune of some Rs 80 million with the aim of providing various health care services to the inhabitants of the region, was inaugurated this afternoon, by the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, in Coromandel.
The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal; the Minister of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity, Mrs Fazila Jeewa-Daureeawoo; the World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative in Mauritius, Dr Anne Ancia, and other eminent personalities were present on this occasion.
In his keynote address, Prime Minister Jugnauth expressed satisfaction as regards the construction of this medicine, which will provide the inhabitants of the region of Coromandel with a modern, well-equipped and spacious infrastructure. This facility, he pointed out, will serve several nearby regions, such as Beau Bassin and La Tour Koenig. As such, inhabitants will now avail of essential services without having to travel to the A.G.Jeetoo Hospital in Port-Louis, he emphasised.
Mr Jugnauth underlined that the good health of the population remains the priority of the Government and that this medicine forms part of a series of infrastructural projects in the health sector seeking to improve the quality of life of citizens. On this score, the Prime Minister outlined some of the services that will be available at this institution, including:
- Pediatrics;
- Obstetrics and Gynecology;
- Endocrinology and Dialectology;
- Nutritionist and Obesity Clinic;
- And Cardiology, amongst others.
Prime Minister Jugnauth added that this newly built facility with modern equipment would help to decentralise the services offered at the hospital by providing free medical, nursing, dispensary, and support services at the regional level.
He also seized this opportunity to appeal to the public to adopt a healthy lifestyle and to take advantage of the numerous sports facilities put at their disposal across the country, as well as to eat healthily and refrain from drinking alcohol, smoking or taking drugs.
The Prime Minister further elaborated on various achievements and new projects in the pipeline regarding the health sector. These include:
- A new Cancer Centre with modern equipment is to be completed in October this year;
- The construction of a new Flacq Hospital and a new eye hospital in Moka;
- The construction of four additional mediclinics; the renovation of the Victoria Hospital in Candos;
- The construction of three Community Health Centres;
- The construction of Day Care Centres for autistic children;
- A new cardiac centre in Côte d’Or;
- The construction of a modern Central Laboratory;
- And the construction of a modern Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy hospital.
Among other projects: a Central Pharmacy Store to stock all medications in a safer and appropriate place; the opening of a Renal Transplant Unit at Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Rose Belle; and the implementation of the e-Health project with the assistance of the United Nations Development Programme.
Under this project, the existing paper-based healthcare system will be replaced by a modern and integrated e-Health system in all public regions and healthcare centres.
For his part, Minister Jagutpal highlighted that more than 75% of the population receives treatment in regional hospitals, district hospitals, medicines, Area Health Centres, and Community Health Centres.
Dr Jagutpal moreover dwelt on some initiatives introduced in the health sector, namely: the Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in July 2022; Neo-Natal Intensive Care Units in hospitals; Sexual and Reproductive Health Action Plan 2022-2027; Pre-Conception and Fertility Clinics; increasing the pediatric age from 12 to 16 years; vaccination campaign regarding the Human Papilloma Virus; and Hepatitis C systematic screening and treatment.
He observed that Mauritius is experiencing an ageing population, with more than 260,000 people aged 60 years and above, representing 18% of the population. The Integrated Care for Older People project, he stated, has therefore been launched with the assistance of the WHO so as to ensure that the elderly remain physically and mentally fit.
As regards the Coromandel Mediclinic, Dr Jagutpal informed that it would also provide the inhabitants of the region with services such as: General Medicine; Dermatology; Community Psychiatry; Rheumatology; Respiratory Medicine; Ophthalmology; Occupational Medicine; and X-ray amongst others.