The e-Health Project Implementation workshop was launched this morning, by the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Jagutpal, at the Labourdonnais Hotel, in Port-Louis.
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative of Mauritius and Seychelles, Ms Amanda K. Serumaga, and other eminent personalities were also present.
In his keynote address, the Minister spoke of the Government's initiative to successfully implement the e-Health Project as per the 2020-2024 Government Programme.
The Health Minister underlined the challenges associated with the current paper-based system, stating that that for a population of 1.2 million people in Mauritius, there are five million active patient files and nine million casualty cards. As such, he stressed the need to shift to digital solutions, particularly in managing patients' records, details, and test results.
Highlighting the e-Health Project as the optimal solution, Dr Jagutpal recalled the implementation workshop for the e-Health project held on 18 November 2023 and outlined its collaborative nature with the UNDP and its role as a follow-up to the initial efforts.
Minister Jagutpal indicated that the comprehensive e-Health project amounts to the tune of Rs 600 million and spans into two phases, with Phase One accounting for Rs 200 million.
On this note, he further dwelt that the tangible results of Phase One would be visible in the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital as from August 2024, to subsequently extend to other Regional Hospitals, Health Centers, Community Centers, and Mediclinics within three months.
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Finally, he underscored the transformative impact of the project on the public health sector and expressed gratitude for the support from the UNDP in enhancing the overall quality of public health services in the country.
For her part,Ms Serumaga underpinned the crucial role of digital transformation in assisting developing nations in overcoming challenges within the public health sector. She also highlighted the potential of e-Health to usher a significant transformation in this regards within the public health sector.
Ms Serumaga pointed out that the implementation of e-Health is poised to be cost-effective and will prioritise patient-centric approaches as well as effectively manage patients' confidentiality. The UNDP Representative also reiterated the organisation's commitment to invest in and support Governments to expand and empower their capabilities.
