The National Sexual Reproductive Health Policy 2022 and its implementation Plan 2022–2027, were launched on Friday 28 October 2022, at the InterContinental Resort Mauritius in Balaclava.
The Vice-Prime Minister, Minister of Education, Tertiary Education, Science and Technology, Mrs Leela Devi Dookun-Luchoomun; the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal; the Minister of Gender Equality and Family Welfare, Mrs Kalpana Koonjoo-Shah; and other personalities were present.
In her address, the Vice-Prime Minister stated that over the years, Government has been investing massively and implementing countless measures for a healthy population. The objective of the Policy, she said, is to work towards the achievement of sexual health and well-being of all at every stage of life.
She emphasised that sexual health is an essential component of universal and comprehensive health coverage while highlighting that there has been significant improvement in sexual reproductive health and rights. She stressed on the need to foster enhanced health care services through the provision of a more equitable and sustainable health care in line with international commitments for the attainment of global goals.
Vice-Prime Minister Dookun-Luchoomun lauded the Ministry of Health and Wellness for the policy document which according to her seeks to identify policies and strategies to strengthen sexual health rights through a multisectoral approach. Sexual related rights will also have positive impacts on gender equality, social prosperity and gender violence, she underpinned.
She also stressed on the need to educate the youth and prepare them to face the difficult challenges of life in terms of emotional aspects and reproductive activities. Schools thus have an important role to play in educating the youth, and upskill them, and enable them to maintain sound balance in relationships, she added.
For his part, Minister Jagutpal underlined that sexual and reproductive health is a lifetime concern for both women and men adding that it has a profound effect on one’s health at all stages of life.
Sexual Reproductive Health programmes, he said, should be tailored-made including comprehensive sexuality education, family planning, pre-conception care, antenatal and post-natal care services to prevent sexually transmitted infections, screening, and treatment of reproductive health illnesses. The overall cost of the National Sexual Reproductive Health Implementation Plan2022-2027 is estimated to Rs 27 million, he further indicated.
The Health Minister highlighted that his Ministry has implemented several measures to improve the sexual and reproductive health of the Mauritian population, including maternal and child health. On this score, he pointed out that a decrease has been recorded in maternal deaths, number of infant deaths aged under one year, still birth rate, number of livebirths among teenagers, and number of complications following abortions.
As for Mrs Koonjoo-Shah, she said that the development of the Health Policy will address pertinent and emerging issues and identify priority areas for actions to strengthen the sexual and reproductive rights. The Policy, she underlined is in line with the Health Sector Strategic Plan 2020-2024 which aims to contribute towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 3.
The Policy will also enable women to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and ensure that their sexual and reproductive health rights are respected and protected, she highlighted.
The Minister further said that the fertility rate in the country has drastically dropped, thus giving rise to an ageing population. She therefore called on women to create a stable family life before their thirties and encouraged couples to have more children.
