Launching of a new Haemodialysis Unit to mark World Kidney Day 2022

Dr L. Musango, WHO Representative saying that “creating awareness about the kidney is very crucial first to prevent kidney diseases but also to allow patients with kidney disease to live well – with less suffering possible."
The Health Minister, Hon. Kailash Kumar Jagutpal inaugurated a new Haemodialysis Unit at the New Souillac on 10 March 2022 in the presence of the WHO Representative, Dr Laurent Musango and other personalities to mark World Kidney Day in Mauritius. This new Unit comprising 22 haemodialysis machines has the capacity to accommodate around 150 patients and aims at decentralizing further the treatment of patients suffering from kidney disease. Some 1,500 patients in Mauritius undergo dialysis treatment in the five Regional Hospitals, the New Souillac Hospital, the Long Mountain Hospital, and Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Rodrigues. The Ministry of Health and Wellness also collaborates with private clinics to accommodate more patients with the increasing number of patients requiring dialysis treatment. In his address, Dr Hon. Jagutpal emphasized the importance of sensitizing the population on kidney diseases and promoting a healthy lifestyle.  The Health Minister explained that the Government disbursed some Rs 150 million to enable 250 patients to undergo dialysis treatment in private clinics.   He urged the population to take advantage of the numerous sports facilities put at their disposal across the country. Dr Laurent Musango, the WHO Representative in Mauritius highlighted, “the high NCD burden in Mauritius and the disastrous impact of uncontrolled diabetes on the kidney function.”  He added that many of the NCDs when uncontrolled can impact severely on kidney function.

Improving adolescent and youth health services

Improving adolescent and youth health services
Nineteen-year-old Armande* recalls her disastrous first visit to a health centre. “It was awful,” says the teen from Kongo Central, in western Democratic Republic of the Congo. “I was younger then and looking for information on HIV, and the nurse there made fun of me in front of everyone because of my age.”

BUILDING CORE CAPACITIES FOR POINTS OF ENTRY THROUGH MULTISECTORAL COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIP IN ESWATINI

Participants of the project inception meeting held at the United Nations offices in Mbabane

As the COVID-19 pandemic enters the third year, there is a need for building resilient border health systems to curb the international spread of diseases. The Joint External Evaluation (JEE) of the implementation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) 2005 which was conducted in 2018 across 19 technical areas revealed limited capacity and major gaps under the Points of Entry. This poses a great risk of the international spread of diseases between Eswatini and neighbouring South Africa and Mozambique as well as other countries in Southern Africa.