The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, visited on Friday 04 August 2023, children’s patients who have undergone complex surgical interventions of cleft lip and cleft palate, performed by the Indian surgeon, the Professor S.M. Balaji, at the Victoria Hospital in Candos.
The Health Minister was accompanied by Professor S.M. Balaji and a team of local health personnel of the Plastic Surgery Unit. A total of 16 patients have undergone surgery.
In a statement after the visit, Dr Jagutpal underlined that Prof. S.M. Balaji, who is an eminent Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon in India, is on his third visit in Mauritius to undertake complex surgical interventions on Mauritian patients that could not be performed locally. The Minister pointed out that the Indian surgeon has performed complex oral and maxillofacial surgeries on children’s patients, mostly cleft lip and cleft palate cases, adding that this collaboration is spanning for more than one year now.
He emphasised that a team of local health personnel from diverse specialised fields has been set up to provide the necessary medical assistance and follow-up during and after the surgeries.
Besides, Dr Jagutpal said that the local personnel assisting the Indian surgeon are benefiting from hands-on training which is contributing to improve the delivery of service to the population and will enable them to carry out related interventions in the future.
