Mauritius: A fully-automated immuno-analyser, donated by the Lions Club of Savanne to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, will be put into use at the Victoria Hospital. The donation ceremony was held this morning, in the presence of the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, at the Victoria Hospital in Candos.
In his address, the Health Minister expressed gratitude to the Lions Club of Savanne for the donation of state-of-the-art equipment, which will be used at the Central Health Laboratory at the Victoria Hospital.
He emphasised that the Lions Club is actively involved in helping the Government to achieve one of its missions, which is to deliver quality healthcare to the whole population. The automation of the Central Health Laboratory, he said, will surely help in enhancing the efficiency of the laboratory services.
The Minister outlined the key contribution of the equipment, namely, its capacity to perform 200 tests per hour, including various tests such as HIV, Hepatitis B and C, Cytomegalovirus, Toxoplasma and other infections.
He further remarked that the interfacing of the equipment with the Laboratory Information Management System will help reduce the delivery time of results and its despatch to the different hospitals and public health centres.
Moreover, Dr Jagutpal underpinned the longstanding collaboration of his Ministry with the Lions Club of Savanne in the health sector.
He recalled that the Lions Club has been carrying out vision tests and provided spectacles to the elderly for free; sponsored the visit of foreign doctors who have carried out surgeries at the Moka Eye Hospital and at the New Souillac Hospital; and donated, in 2019, two Apheresis machines to the National Blood Transfusion Service.
As for the President of the Lions Club of Savanne, Martine Cotte, she reaffirmed the mission of her association, which is to serve the community and support those in need. All its members work in unison to extend help to those around us to face the challenges of life and prepare for the future, she added.
She further informed that her association supports initiatives in the health sector through the provision of free screening events, and donation of materials to individuals and equipment to health institutions, amongst others.