Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to inform the House that my Ministry provides financial assistance under Overseas Treatment Scheme for patients requiring medical treatment not available in our public health institutions in Mauritius. According to my Ministry’s policy, provision is made for financial assistance under the following schemes – i. patients over 25 years old, a total of Rs1.3 million, and ii. under the Child Cancer Scheme and Paediatric Scheme unlimited assistance for patients up to 25 years old. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am informed that a total of 1,851 patients have benefitted from financial assistance under the above schemes from January 2021 to December 2025. I am further informed that, since this Government took office, a total of 786 patients, for period for December 2024 to April 2026, have received financial assistance including 105 patients under the Child Cancer Scheme. These Schemes are being reviewed. There have been complete abuse and over-exaggeration with the colossal amount of funds disbursed for treatment. With regard to part (a) of the question, I am, with your permission, tabling the information as requested. As regards part (b) of the question, my Ministry is continuously implementing a series of measures aimed at strengthening public healthcare services at the national level. These measures include sustained massive investment in healthcare infrastructures, state-of-the-art equipment and human resources. These measures would, to a large extent, reduce our dependency on foreign hospitals for treatment of our patients. During this financial year, an allocation of approximately Rs18.5 billion has been earmarked for the health sector, reflecting Government’s commitment to modernising and strengthening public healthcare delivery across all levels of care. At the primary care level, the following measures are being implemented – • prevention, early detection and community-based management of diseases, particularly non-communicable diseases; • diabetic retinal screening and diabetic foot care are being decentralised to community level, and • structured programmes for early intervention and lifestyle modification for diabetes and pre-diabetes patients, supported by the development of specialised diabetic care centres. At the secondary level – • Regional hospitals are being continuously upgraded with improved diagnostic and treatment facilities, and • Specialised services are being decentralised to improve accessibility and reduce pressure on tertiary institutions. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, at the tertiary care level – • the Trauma and Emergency Unit in each Regional Hospital has already been set up under the supervision of Emergency Physicians; • the Kidney and Renal Transplant Unit at Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital has already been operationalised; • a Bone Marrow Transplant Unit will also be operational once the set-up is ready; • Interventional Cardiology Services have been extended to Rose Belle Hospital; • the Vascular Surgery Unit at Flacq Hospital is already operational; • the New Eye Hospital at Moka is already providing significant ophthalmological care to patients, and • Specialised Ophthalmology Services have been decentralised to Flacq and Souillac hospitals. Other major projects in the pipeline include – • the construction of an AYUSH Centre of Excellence at Côte d’Or to promote and develop traditional systems of medicine, and • the construction of a new SSRN Hospital aimed at modernising and expanding the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam National Hospital to strengthen healthcare infrastructure. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have to emphasise that my Ministry is also having recourse to the services of foreign doctors from United Kingdom, Australia, India and South Africa to assist us in complex super specialised surgeries. These experts are specialised in the fields of Vascular Surgery, Ophthalmology, Neurosurgery, Interventional Radiology, Renal Transplant, ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Oncosurgery amongst others. Such foreign visits also offer a golden opportunity for our local doctors to keep abreast with modern techniques and care management already in place in advanced countries. From November 2024 to date, 84 specialised foreign doctors came to Mauritius to undertake complex surgeries such as in fields of Ophthalmology, Orthopaedics, Renal as well as Cardiac and Vascular Surgeries. In fact, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, at present there is an Onco-surgeon from Apollo Hospital, India, who is conducting complex surgeries at the National Cancer Centre. Diagnostic and emergency healthcare services are also being strengthened through the expansion and upgrading of CT scan and MRI facilities across public hospitals, including ongoing procurement and installation of additional imaging equipment at key institutions such as Flacq Hospital, Rose Belle Hospital and Victoria Hospital. A PET scan is operational at the National Cancer Centre, Phoenix. A national programme is being implemented for the replacement and modernisation of ageing radiology equipment, while efforts are underway to enhance equitable access through the establishment of CT scan and MRI services in underserved regions, including the Flacq and southern regions. In parallel, SAMU capacity is being reinforced through expansion of ambulance fleet to strengthen both emergency response and inter-hospital patient transfers. During this Financial Year, four additional SAMU ambulances have been procured.

You got a lot to go? You can circulate.

I am concluding now.

Conclude.

Because the question was such, it requires a lengthy answer.

Yes, but if it is a long answer, we can always circulate it.

Only one or two minutes.

Okay, carry on.

So, during this Financial Year, four additional ambulances have been procured and my Ministry will procure some additional ambulances during the next Financial Year. A comprehensive set of measures is also being implemented to strengthen sexual and reproductive health services across the continuum of care. These include – • Strengthening maternal and newborn care; • Expanding family planning and fertility services including adolescent and youth friendly health services; • Reinforcing sexually transmitted infections, and HIV prevention, and • Enhancing women cancer screening services. In addition, the services of a fertility expert from India have been enlisted and will be provided at the SSRN Hospital. My Ministry is also reinforcing a comprehensive harm reduction strategy as part of its public health response. In parallel, needle and syringe programmes, addiction treatment services and residential rehabilitation facilities are being strengthened through the drug users and administrative panel to support rehabilitation and integration. My Ministry is further transferring the human resource capacity in the health sector. Some 138 trainee nurses will join the nursing cadre in June 2026 upon completion of the training. The scheme of service has been amended to allow direct recruitment of qualified nursing officers and 1000 additional nurses are being trained over the next three years. Since September 2025, 139 medical and health officers have been recruited including 106 with the Public Service Commission and 33 on contractual basis. In addition, 14 specialist and senior specialist have been recruited since July 2025 in the fields such as orthopaedic, urology, obstetrics and gynaecology and paediatrics. These specialists will also include emergency physician who will service the trauma and emergency unit in each of the five regional hospitals. Through continuous investment across infrastructure services and human resources and through a balanced approach encompassing prevention, treatment and rehabilitation and specialised care, Government is progressively strengthening the capacity of our public health system to meet the evolving needs of the population. This strategy is ultimately aimed at ensuring the equitable access to quality health care locally, improving health outcome for all citizens and reducing dependence on overseas medical treatment in a structured and sustainable manner.

Yes, hon. Member.

Yes, thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir. I thank the hon. Minister for his answer. As rightly pointed out by the hon. Minister, diagnostic is very important. Is he aware that the MRI, City Scan at National Cancer Centre and Candos hospital are not working properly and this is causing serious issues to the patients and appointment are being given in December 2026?

Well, I am made aware that at the cancer hospital, there has been a slight problem but that has already been looked into but I would like to add up that the last 10 years, much investment was not made in that equipment and that is the reason why this situation. For example, in Victoria it must be above 10 years old and repeated breakdowns do occur but we have taken the decision probably in the forthcoming budget, we have to change. We are going to have one additional MRI, a new MRI to be set up in Victoria Hospital.

The hon. Third Member for Port Louis North & Montagne Longue! BOIS PIGNOLET – WATER LEAKAGE – REMEDIAL MEASURES