In a bid to strengthen capacity building and upscale Integrated Disease Surveillance Response (IDSR) at all levels of healthcare in the Republic of Mauritius including the private sector and points of entry namely, the airport and seaport healthcare workers need to be trained on IDSR.
This statement was made by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Wellness, Mrs Zahera Lallmahomed, at the closing ceremony of the National Training of Trainers on IDSR and National Action Plan on Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) workshop, on 06 October 2023, at The Ravenala Attitude, Balaclava. Mrs Lallmahomed was speaking on behalf of the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal.
In her address, she recalled that a seven-day National Training of Trainers for IDSR was organised with the overall objective to build a core team of trainers that will roll out IDSR in Mauritius. She highlighted the importance of having a robust and effective surveillance system which will enable the early detection of diseases, particularly, in light of the recent outbreaks of dengue fever and the COVID-19 pandemic in Mauritius. Mrs Lallmahomed commended the initiative of the World Health Organization Africa Region (WHO AFRO) for developing this strategy to promote surveillance and response in the continent.
According to the Permanent Secretary, the rollout of the third edition of IDSR, which is in line with Strategic Objective 16 of the Health Sector Strategic Plan 2020–2024, was recognised as one of the National Action Plan for Health Security’s key initiatives. She underlined that the IDSR method aims to improve detection and response to the major causes of illness, death, and disability in our nation by making surveillance and laboratory data more functional.
She stated that disease prioritisation done for the IDSR strategy has identified 40 priority diseases as being of public health importance to Mauritius in terms of morbidity or mortality and that the Ministry will ensure and closely monitor the complete roll-out of IDSR as an immediate priority. She further elaborated that at each regional level, Regional Health Directors and Regional Public Health Superintendents will have a pivotal role in ensuring cascade training, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and auditing.
Mrs Lallmahomed asserted that the National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance will not only be a statement of policy but it will also serve as a guide for action and that all parties involved need to remain persistently committed. She stressed the need to engage with the public, educate healthcare professionals, encourage research and innovation, and collaborate with other nations to develop a worldwide solution for this global crisis.
For her part, WHO Representative in Mauritius, Dr Anne Ancia, spoke on the aim of the WHO along with the collaboration of the Mauritian Government to mitigate the impact of outbreaks and detect them at an earlier stage so as to lessen their impact. She addressed the requirements of decentralising countries, especially district-level countries, through a responsible and effective disease surveillance mechanism. Dr Ancia discussed having a multi-sectoral approach that focuses on animal health as well.
