A ceremony to hand over medical equipment donated by the World Health Organization (WHO) was held today at the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Rose Belle. The Minister of Health and Welfare, Dr. Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal; the Minister of Financial Services and Good Governance, Mr. Mahen Kumar Seeruttun; the WHO Representative, Dr. Laurent Musango, and other personalities were present.
The equipment, worth Rs 6 million, includes an endoscopic bronchoscopy machine, a spirometer and a microscope and will be used to perform respiratory and pulmonary tests at the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital. The donation is the result of collaboration between the Mauritian authorities and WHO following the grounding of the bulk carrier MV Wakashio off Pointe d’Esny last year to address the impact of the oil spill on human health. The Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital was the designated center to treat health problems related to the oil spill.
In his speech, the Health Minister recalled that health problems resulting from the oil spill included skin and eye irritation, as well as mild respiratory problems. Dr. Jagutpal pointed out that the oil spill incident was the first time the country had faced such a health hazard, and he thanked WHO for its continued support.
The WHO representative, for his part, stressed that the equipment will improve health care services for lung and respiratory diseases in the short, medium and long term. It is worth noting that Covid-19 screening equipment was also handed over to the Ministry of Health and Welfare by the WHO on this occasion.
