Promoting healthy lives & well-being for a resilient Mauritius

Introduction

It is my honour to address this esteemed gathering today at the (a) launch ceremony for development of the Health Sector Strategic Plan (HSSP) 2025-2030 as well as (b) Opening ceremony of Leadership Orientation Workshop. This workshop today comes at a pivotal moment.   We have only 5 years left between now and 2030 to ensure meeting the sustainable development goals.  Equally we heard the ambition of the governments new 5-year programme which puts people’s health and well-being at the centre.   I congratulate the Ministry of Health and Wellness for the participatory approach in the development of the health sector roadmap which lays the ground for the development of the upcoming new HSSP.  I understand we have over 120 representatives and diversity in the organisations, ministries civil society and national stakeholders invited in this room attest to your commitment to ensure that the voices and expectations of the people will be well captured throughout the process.  

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We all know that healthy people are the cornerstone of robust and resilient economies.  Health is not simply a linear sector issue.  It is in fact very much a key development issue because it directly impacts well being and productivity of an individual, household status, economic productivity, and social stability, all of which are foundational to achieving sustainable development. In the context of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), health is strongly interconnected with all other SDGs, making it a key enabler of overall progress.

Key Achievements & Challenges from HSSP 2020–202

Mauritius is a beacon in the African continent when it comes to health achievements. Mauritius has made impressive strides in health outcomes including in life expectancy and reductions in communicable diseases.  Mauritius has over 143 centurions and I had the honour to meet four of them last year at a conference. This speaks volumes – attesting to the success of the Mauritian health system! The provision of free healthcare has ensured equitable access to essential services for all Mauritians. The enhancement of health infrastructure, including the construction of new hospitals, the adoption of telemedicine, and the implementation of electronic health records, has further strengthened the healthcare system. Additionally, there has been commendable progress in integrating health considerations into policies across various sectors and improving zoonotic disease surveillance, and advanced forensics lab in the subregion. The country has great potential to consolidate its reputation as a health destination especially the Western Indian Ocean region.

Despite these achievements, several key challenges remain. We have seen in recent times that shocks including pandemics, climate change impacts, market shocks are the new norm and have become increasingly interlinked requiring a much more collaborative, integrated and system wide approach that allow for joint results.  The rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs); an ageing population; illegal drug addiction and climate change exacerbating vulnerabilities. The growing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR); and health financing challenges also require sustainable funding models to address. These new challenges of course necessitate a paradigm shift in health system services with greater focus on prevention, greater use of ICT, innovation and data, greater institutional collaboration and strengthening public private partnerships, to include regional collaboration.

Honourable Minister, 

The United Nations in Mauritius has longstanding history of strong collaboration with your Ministry. As you know the UN in Mauritius comprises of 24 UN Agencies and our work is guided by the 5-year multi-year plan which you all know as the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework. The current UN partnership framework covers the period 2024-2028.  And it has put health as one of our strategic priorities.  This underlines our steadfast commitment to accompanying you in not only the process of designing the HSSP, but also its successful implementation.  As the lead UN agency on health, the World Health Organization (WHO), through its Country Cooperation Strategy, has been your steadfast partner, be in health strengthening or in pandemic response, as you saw from the lead role it played with COVID response, guaranteeing Mauritius rapid response and recovery.  It continues to support and strengthen coordination, institutional capacities and regional knowledge sharing around health. WHO’s technical assistance for the evaluation of the previous HSSP 2020-2024 and the preparation of the new HSSP. To maximize its impact and avoid duplication, WHO coordinates with other UN agencies such as UNAIDS, UNDP, and UNFPA, both within and outside the country, to advance the national health agenda.[1]

UNAIDS best practice approach of ‘Harm Reduction’ for persons who inject drugs was implemented by the government with great success, contributing to a remarkable decrease in new HIV cases from 92% in 2005 to less than 2% currently. Such programmes yield lifesaving results. UNFPA is committed to supporting vulnerable out-of-school youth by providing curricula that empower them with knowledge and skills related to their sexual and reproductive health, which is essential for their overall well-being and for building a healthy and prosperous society. Equally, UNDP has advanced e-health initiatives in Mauritius with improving e-health governance and digitalisation and the "One Patient, One Record" project. This initiative leverages state-of-the-art technology to create a more cost-efficient, patient-centric, and accountable system for managing patient records, details, and test results.

Next Steps – Health Sector Strategic Plan 2025-2030

Honourable Minister,

The review of the HSSP 2020–2024 and the development of the new HSSP 2025–2030 come at an opportune time with the recent announcement of the new Government Programme for Mauritius. It provides continuity with the previous HSSP goals while addressing new and emerging issues; and introduces new interventions in service delivery and the health system.  Its design has clear areas to improve public health outcomes and strengthen performance of the health system while expanding universal health coverage to strengthen primary healthcare, prioritize disease prevention and systematic screening, and adopt a multi-sector Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach. Embracing a One Health approach will foster collaboration across human, animal, and environmental health, while investing in expanding universal access to quality healthcare;     improve its capacity to prevent, control, and respond to infectious diseases, whether they are local outbreaks or global pandemics (e.g., COVID-19). 

Having contingency plans in place for emergencies strengthens public health resilience. A well-structured strategy will make the health system sustainable in the long run. It ensures that resources, both human and financial, are used efficiently.  Additionally, strengthening the healthcare system through a comprehensive health workforce analysis will inform training and retention strategies. Exploring public-private partnerships and international funding will address health financing reform and better integration of private and public health services, which can alleviate pressure on government-funded hospitals and clinics.

Leveraging digital health and innovation to enhance service efficiency. 

A key issue for Mauritius is to improve its capacity to prevent, control, and respond to infectious diseases, whether they are local outbreaks or global pandemics (e.g., COVID-19). Having contingency plans in place for emergencies strengthens public health resilience.

Incorporating new technologies into the health system can lead to more effective treatments, better diagnostics, and improved administrative efficiency. The health sector strategy should consider how telemedicine, electronic health records, and data analytics can be leveraged to enhance care and reduce costs.

One key objective of the workshop to have everyone clear on their roles and responsibilities.  I think this is excellent to emphasise this early on so everyone ha a joint stake in its success allows for fostering partnership, co-creation and synergies.   I wish you all a fruitful discussion so that the healthcare system remains robust, efficient, and capable of meeting the challenges of the current times as well as those of the future.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your kind attention. 

[1] Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).