Madam Speaker, with regard to part (a) of the question, in accordance to the prescribed Scheme of Service, a Specialist/Senior Specialist is responsible for provision of an effective and efficient clinical service in his speciality. In this respect, he responsible to the Regional Health Director through the Consultant in Charge of the relevant field for the following – 1. to perform clinical and other work pertaining to his speciality, 2. to mentor and train junior medical nursing and other have personal; 3. to initiate and participate in surveys and research activities and publications; 4. to contribute to the development of health programmes. There are no rigidly prescribed duties or narrowly defined scope of practice specified to specialists in the field of Endocrinology and Diabetology. In fact, endocrinology and diabetology by their very nature are dynamic and multidisciplinary fields encompassing metabolic, hormonal, cardiovascular, renal and neurosurgical aspects of care. As such, clinical responsibilities are exercised within a collaborative patient-centred model rather than confined to a fixed list of tasks. I am further informed that the management of complex wounds and surgical interventions and patient care is delivered through a multidisciplinary team approach. This particularly involves close collaboration between Endocrinologists, Diabetologists, and other Specialists such as surgeons, Vascular Surgeons, Wound Care Specialist, nurses and allied health professionals depending on the clinical need of the patient. Madam Speaker, with regard to part (b) of the question, diabetic foot management is usually referred to a multidisciplinary team as per International Best Practice Guidelines and is as follows – (i) Radiologists who look after the vascular part in order to inform the surgeon regarding blood circulation in the affected foot; (ii) General surgeons who evaluate and give treatment for diabetic foot ulcers; (iii) Vascular Surgeons may do a bypass of the artery to supply regions which are affected by diabetes; (iv) Pathologists verify tissues for histopathology, and (v) Diabetologists who offer medication and advice to control medical aspects of diabetes. The protocol of diabetic footcare delivery will be reviewed during the visit of Dr. Marie-France Kong, Consultant Diabetologist, from United Kingdom, and her team, scheduled for June 2026.

Yes!

Thank you, Madam Speaker. Would the hon. Minister agree that given the very high number of amputations resulting from diabetes, would it not be a better approach to follow the US and the UK in allowing Diabetologists to perform treatment for open wound for diabetic foot?

Madam Speaker, well, I am not in the medical field but this is the information which has been given to me. In fact, this system was set up a little bit by our hon. Prime Minister in the early, I think, 2013 or 2014, the new code was established and that was under his guidance. There was one eminent professor from England who came and who set up all these guidelines. I do hope with the advent of the professor who is coming to Mauritius, we will get more information and we will try to get more advice from him.

Yes, hon. Dr. Aumeer!

Thank you, Madam Speaker. I will just ask the hon. Minister, since we are talking about specialist and Endocrinologist and Diabetologists, in the same vein there is always a very narrow area of the scope of duties that are expected from specialists while the sole authority to allow a specialist to practice in Mauritius relies under the purview of the Medical Council. May I ask the hon. Minister whether he could see with the Medical Council how to give the scope of duties or the boundaries to which particular specialists are allowed to work and do procedures or treatment because, today, we are seeing specialists…

Do not argue, ask him a question.

Yes, one specialist which is outside the remit of another specialist doing the job and you get complications and patients who at the end suffer the brunt of it.

I will take it up at the level of my Ministry with is our consultants who are there and I will try to get their advice and then communicate to the Medical Council.

Okay! Alright everybody? Yes, one more?

Could the hon. Minister please advise if the Surgeons, the General Surgeons, to whom cases of diabetic footcare are referred, do they receive regular and specialised training for treating these types of problems?

We have got the General Surgeons, number one, and I hope that they are properly trained. At the same time, we have got many qualified nurses in that field, many doctors also, who were looking after them. We have got not only surgeons but we have got competent doctors, Diabetologists, whom we have in our hospitals. But I do recognise that there is a shortage of such doctors and I do hope that in the near future we are going to recruit a bit more.

Okay! Alright, good! Now we have First Member for Savanne & Black River. CONSTITUENCY NO. 14 – SOCIAL HOUSING – WAITING LIST