The World Health Organization (WHO) Mauritius Country Office handed over nine vehicles to the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) on Saturday 17 February during a ceremony which took place at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam National Hospital. Four of these minivans will be converted into ambulances (including one for Rodrigues), while the remaining five will primarily be used for Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT), such as the transportation of patients suffering from diabetes and other chronic illnesses.

The majority of these patients depend on the health authorities to get to and from their treatment facilities. “This move to reinforce the public health sector’s ambulance fleet at a cost of around Rs12.6 million is part of the WHO’s COVID-19 response plan which was designed in part to address the vulnerabilities exposed by the pandemic”, explained the WHO Representative, Dr Anne Ancia.

COVID-19 required the large-scale mobilization of the ambulance fleet to transport serious COVID cases to the ENT Hospital, while SAMU continued to provide emergency medical services to the population. This resulted in a shortfall of adapted vehicles for the transportation of patients requiring haemodialysis and other treatments (Mauritius counts around 15,000 dialysis patients, 65% of whom rely on transportation provided by the MOHW).

With its emphasis on patient-centred care, the donation of these vehicles will support the authorities in their objective of improving the quality of health services. The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailash Jagatpal, thanked the WHO for its continued support, adding that the vehicles will provide “increased comfort for patients and health personnel”.

In total, WHO has mobilized around Rs210 million in supporting Mauritius in its efforts to combat COVID-19, including for: i. Health monitoring systems and the analysis of epidemiological data; ii. Diagnostic capacity support, including the construction of a testing centre, lab tests and genome sequencing; iii. Case management, including continuity of care and additional support for patients living with chronic illnesses by supplying additional haemodialysis and retinography machines; iv. Suppyling oxygen; v. Infection protection and control; vi. Risk communication and social mobilization; and vii. Vaccination programmes.

The donation of these vehicles was made possible by contributions from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the US Department of State and the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs.