The Ministry of Health and Wellness solicited the support of professionals from the University of Bordeaux in a bid to enhance the treatment provided to stroke patients in Mauritius. In this context, Professor Xavier Combes and Professor Igor Sibon, from the University of Bordeaux, were in Mauritius from 29 August to 02 September 2022 for the development of training courses in the Management of Stroke Patients.
Following a site visit, this afternoon, at the Victoria Hospital in Candos, Professor Sibon stated that there is a real motivation on the part of the medical teams in a bid to optimise the management of stroke patients. He observed that the necessary tools are already available, namely, the 114 hotline for the SAMU, emergency services to receive stroke patients, and the required drugs to treat those patients. Synergy is now required between all those concerned so as to enhance the service provided to stroke patients, he added.
Professor Sibon underscored that there is now a need to train the medical teams to improve the recognition of stroke symptoms and their management. According to him, the training of neurologists must also be enhanced, while nurses should be thoroughly coached to care for stroke patients and avoid complications.
For his part, Professor Combes underlined that discussions were held with Mauritian doctors so as to determine how stroke patients are currently looked after. From there, necessary improvements will be brought to the health services so that a patient having a stroke at home can be at the hospital as quickly as possible to benefit from effective treatment, he stated.
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He further cautioned that a stroke strategic plan has to be devised for Mauritius so that the patient benefits from the expertise of a neurologist, a radiologist, an emergency physician and an internist, among others. He added that it is also essential to raise awareness among members of the public so that every person can recognise the warning signs of a stroke and can be taken care of as quickly as possible by the health services.
As for the Victoria Hospital's Regional Health Director, Mr Dhanraz Gopal, he indicated that the Ministry of Health and Wellness lays much emphasis on the training of medical staff, especially regarding pathologies that consequently affect patients. He remarked that, yearly, some 4 500 patients suffering from strokes due to, amongst others, non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, are treated in Mauritius by medical staff.
He pointed out that the training of nurses, caregivers, radiologists and doctors will start soon, and added that the Ministry of Health and Wellness is starting a training programme in collaboration with the University of Bordeaux as there is a lack of interventional radiologists in Mauritius.
