The Minister of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity (Mr A. Subron): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, with your permission, I will reply to Parliamentary Question B/947. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, Medical Practitioners are employed on yearly renewable contract and remunerated on sessional basis to serve the Medical Unit of my Ministry. They are responsible, amongst others, to conduct domiciliary visit to elderly persons and serve on Medical Boards for disability assessment. My Ministry presently employs 332 such Medical Practitioners whose offer of employment are renewed on a yearly basis. With regard to part (a) of the question, I am informed that medical practitioners whose services applied to be retained by the Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity on a contractual basis should be fully registered as Medical Practitioners in accordance with legislation in force in Mauritius. Our Ministry applies the same principle in advertising and recruitment for the post as the Ministry of Health does. I am informed by the Ministry of Health and Wellness that all doctors practicing modern or conventional medicine in the Republic of Mauritius require a registration with the Medical Council of Mauritius under the relevant provisions made in the Medical Council Act 1999 (as amended). I am further informed that General Practitioners are registered as such after passing the Medical Registration Examination under section 22(1)(ca) of the Medical Council Act. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in regard to part (b) of the question, the Ministry of Health and Wellness has confirmed that Medical Practitioners serving at my Ministry are all registered as General Practitioners and have obviously been successful in the Medical Registration Examination set by the Medical Council of Mauritius. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me inform the hon. Member and the House that the recruitment of Medical Practitioners on contractual basis started in August 2009. The last recruitment exercise was carried out in March 2020 and the PSC has approved the recruitment of 250 Medical Practitioners. As from 2020, Medical Practitioners on contractual basis have been recruited and have been given employment for a duration of one year, which have been subsequently renewed. Last month, I renewed their contract of employment for a further period of one year. Detail of their employment is being discussed in the context of the disability reform of my Ministry and the Government. Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Just one supplementary because we are already out of time.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, can the hon. Minister state whether the doctors sitting on the Medical Boards, whether they have the requisite specialty in accordance with the disease for which the patient has applied for a pension? Par exemple, a specialist in cancer sitting on a Board assessing a patient who has cancer.

I responded to this query in the last session but I would state that in the Medical Board, these are medical practitioners. Some of them might be Specialists, but it is a requirement under the law for the medical tribunal that the doctors sitting on the medical tribunal, are the respective Specialists of the case being assessed. RODRIGUES – ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STRATEGY – CALENDAR OF COLLABORATION