The Government is investing heavily in latest technologies to provide healthcare professionals with the best tools for diagnosis and treatment. Nonetheless, both the public health sector and the private health sector must complement each other so as to further strengthen the health sector in Mauritius.
The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, made this statement, today, during the official inauguration of the Artemis Curepipe Hospital (ACH), in Curepipe.
The Minister of National Infrastructure and Community Development, Mr Mahendranuth Sharma Hurreeram; the Minister of Labour, Human Resource Development and Training, Mr Soodesh Satkam Callichurn; the Minister of Arts and Cultural Heritage, Mr Avinash Teeluck; the Parliamentary Private Secretaries, Dr Muhammad Ismaël Rawoo and Mrs Marie Alexandra Tania Diolle; the World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Mauritius, Dr Anne Marie Ancia; the Spouse of the Prime Minister, Mrs Kobita Jugnauth; the Chairman and Founder of Falcon Healthcare Group, Dr Zouberr Joomaye; as well as other eminent personalities were also present on this occasion.
In his address, Minister Jagutpal highlighted the importance of having adequate availability of health human resources and adequate health infrastructure as well as specialist services in order to ensure progress both in the private and the public health sector. He pointed out that a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Private Clinics Association and Polytechnics Mauritius in December 2022 for the training of medical staff to be employed in private clinics.
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Dr Jagutpal underlined that there is another agreement between his Ministry and some 18 private clinics, whereby the Government covers the cost of treatment of patients sent from Government Hospitals to private clinics for treatments which are not available in the public health sector. He indicated that the ACH expressed its intention to sign this agreement with the Ministry, and, in the coming days, it will become the 19th private clinic to benefit from this agreement.
Furthermore, the Health Minister recalled that Government's vision is to make the country a medical and pharmaceutical hub for the Indian Ocean and for Africa, in addition to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations and Agenda 2063 of the African Union. He also underscored that Mauritius is currently among the best performers in Africa in terms of universal health coverage.
Minister Jagutpal, moreover, expressed the wish that paediatric patients requiring complex interventions abroad and cancer treatment be treated locally in the private sector in the future. To succeed in this endeavour, he added, both the private and the public health sectors must enhance healthcare delivery, enrol specialist surgeons in different fields, and have proper equipment. According to him, the ACH will contribute to enhance the level of healthcare in the country and will serve its patients with the highest standards of care and compassion.
As for Dr Ancia, she affirmed that the ACH will help to provide quality treatment and service to the population, especially for adolescents with respiratory problems.
For his part, Dr Joomaye recalled that the ACH with state-of-the-art technology, was commissioned in June 2023. It is a modern hospital built on six floors with a capacity of some 80 beds. He seized this opportunity to emphasise that the aim of the ACH is to provide the best health care at affordable price to the population.
