Africa-Press – Mauritius. The Minister of Health, Bro. Kailash Kumar Jagutpal inaugurated a new Hemodialysis Unit in New Souillac on March 10, 2022 in the presence of the WHO Representative, Dr. Laurent Musango and other personalities to commemorate World Kidney Day in Mauritius .
This new Unit, made up of 22 hemodialysis machines, has the capacity to accommodate around 150 patients and aims to further decentralize the treatment of patients with kidney disease.
Some 1,500 patients in Mauritius undergo dialysis treatment at the five regional hospitals, New Souillac Hospital, Long Mountain Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Rodrigues.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare is also collaborating with private clinics to accommodate more patients with the increasing number of patients requiring dialysis treatment.
In his speech, Dr. Hon. Jagutpal emphasized the importance of raising awareness of kidney diseases and promoting a healthy lifestyle. The Minister of Health explained that the Government spent about Rs 150 million to enable 250 patients to undergo dialysis treatment in private clinics.
He urged the population to take advantage of the many sports facilities that are made available throughout the country. Dr. Laurent Musango, WHO Representative in Mauritius, highlighted “the high burden of NCDs in Mauritius and the disastrous impact of uncontrolled diabetes on kidney function.
” He added that many of the NCDs, when left unchecked, can have a severe impact on kidney function.
“Raising awareness about the kidney is very important first to prevent kidney disease, but also to allow kidney disease patients to live well, with as little suffering as possible,” said the WHO representative.
In Mauritius, many people with comorbidities suffered from severe forms of COVID-19 and sadly last year we counted dialysis patients among those who died of COVID-19.
Hence the need to be vaccinated against COVID-19. “I urge the population to get vaccinated against COVID-19 and also to receive their booster dose on time to protect themselves against COVID-19. This should be a priority for all of us, especially those with comorbidities and older people who are more vulnerable,” said Dr. Musango. Dr.
Musango explained that by addressing the high prevalence of NCD risk factors in Mauritius, we can prevent diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and respiratory diseases, but also delay the onset of those serious diseases and complications.
The WHO representative advocated for more effective, more integrated and holistic symptom management for all patients with kidney disease to enable them and their caregivers to live a better health-related quality of life.
He expressed WHO’s support for national efforts to improve care for kidney disease patients, but also the need to empower chronic kidney disease patients and their families or other caregivers to live with as little suffering as possible. Numerous projects are in preparation to improve kidney health in the country.
These include the opening of a Renal Transplant Unit and a new Hemodialysis Unit that will be equipped with 50 machines at Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Rose Belle; expansion of the Candos Hospital Hemodialysis Unit worth about Rs 15.5 million; and commissioning of a New Hemodialysis Unit in the SSRN Hospital where 50 machines will be installed.
The new Flacq Hospital under construction will be equipped with 50 dialysis machines and Bel Air Mediclinic with 10 machines. Also, dialysis machines that are more than 10 years old are continually being replaced. To further build capacity, the Mauritius Health Institute offers a nephrology course for nurses.
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