the Community Health Centre at Case Noyale, he will, for the benefit of the House, obtain information as to…
(No. B/1066) Mr B. Babajee (First Member for Savanne & Black River) asked the Minister of Health and Wellness whether, in regard to the Community Health Centre at Case Noyale, he will, for the benefit of the House, obtain information as to the – (a) construction year thereof, indicating the number of times same has been renovated; (b) medical services provided thereat, indicating the number of staff posted and average weekly attendance of patients thereat, and (c) medical supplies stock held thereat at any given time.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am informed that the Case Noyale Community Health Centre is presently housed in an old colonial building vested in my Ministry since more than 30 years. With regard to part (a) of the question, I am informed that there are no records available at the level of my Ministry regarding the exact year of construction of the building. I am further informed that in 2021, renovation works comprising concrete flooring and provision of a covered bin for clinical waste were carried thereat. In addition, maintenance and repair works are being undertaken by the maintenance team at the hospital level as and when required. With regard to part (b) of the question, I am informed that the Case Noyale CHC provides the same services as other CHCs, namely general consultations, dressing of wounds, vaccination, and community rehabilitation services, antenatal clinic, non-communicable diseases services, family planning, blood collection, services of a nutritionist. The Case Noyale CHC operates from 08h00 in the morning to 16h00 in the afternoon on weekdays and from 08.00 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. The facility is closed on Sundays. One male nursing officer, one female nursing officer, and one general worker service are at the Case Noyale CHC on a daily basis from Monday to Saturday. In addition, a medical health officer is deployed to conduct half-day consultation sessions on a daily basis. The average weekly attendance of patients at Case Noyale CHC is around 40. With regard to part (c) of the question, I am informed there is an adequate stock of medicines and medical supplies comprising, inter alia, medicines for management of non- communicable diseases and other common medical conditions, antibiotics, analgesics, and anti-inflammatory medicines, syrups, suppositories, injectable medicines and other pharmaceutical products to cater for patients attending the Case Noyale CHC. The Case Noyale CHC maintains approximately one month stock of medical supplies, which is replenished through established supply arrangements. Where additional supplies are required before the schedule replenishment cycle, these are obtained from nearby healthcare facilities, including Dr. Yves Cantin Community Hospital and Victoria Hospital, thereby ensuring continuity of supplies and uninterrupted healthcare services. I wish to emphasise that my Ministry has taken all necessary action within its purview to address the infrastructural constraints at Case Noyale Community Health Centre. Following site visit conducted by officers of my Ministry, action was initiated for the construction of a new building to house the CHC at existing site. However, my Ministry was informed that the existing site was unsuitable as it was insufficient in extent and situated within the high-water mark. Furthermore, no suitable land had been identified in the region for same purpose. In view of these constraints, my Ministry actively pursued an alternative solution for construction of a container type facility on the existing site. The Minister of National Infrastructure was requested to undertake the necessary technical studies and design works, and the project has been earmarked under the list of projects under preparation in the budget estimates of my Ministry. Further progress on the project remains dependent on the completion of the required technical processes by MNI, including a geotechnical investigation and the submission of necessary cost estimates. My Ministry will be in a position to proceed with the subsequent stages of the project upon receipt of the required technical inputs from MNI. Another option is to shift the services of CHC into an adjacent building which was used to accommodate the ex-Post Office and ex- Civil Status Office. Accordingly, consultations are ongoing with the Civil Status Division regarding the feasibility of the relocation. CAMP FOUQUEREAUX FOOTBALL GROUND – RECONSTRUCTION & MAINTENANCE