26 January 2022, Port Louis.

A signature ceremony for project portfolio documents on e-Health initiatives was held by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Mauritius. The event was attended by the Honourable Dr Kailesh Jagutpal, Minister of Health and Wellness; Honourable Deepak Balgobin, Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation; Mrs Devi Chand Anandi Rye Seewooruthun, Senior Chief Executive of the Ministry of Health and Wellness; Ms Amanda Serumaga, UNDP Resident Representative for Mauritius and Seychelles; and other stakeholders and senior executives from various ministries.

The e-Health project is part of UNDP's inclusive and multi-sectoral response to COVID-19 through digital transformation. Under this project, the existing paper-based health care system will be replaced by a modern and integrated e-Health system in all public regional and health care centres. It aims at improving the quality of health services across the island, and achieving an inclusive health sector through structural transformation. Supported by the Government of Japan, the project will also help to develop the Long-Term Digital Health Transformation Strategy and to build competencies and transfer knowledge for the staff of the digital health office at the Ministry. The UNDP’s total contribution under the project portfolio agreement amounts to more than USD 2,7 million and the Japanese Government provided around USD 418 000, which adds up to the sum of more than USD 3 million disbursed by the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

During the ceremony, the Honourable Dr Kailesh Jagutpal, Minister of Health and Wellness, explained that this project aims at ensuring the continuity of care through affordable, high-quality and user-centric services to all healthcare stakeholders in Mauritius: “Such a service will allow us to improve clinical outcomes as the E-Health system is bound to give rise to higher levels of internal efficiency and effectiveness.”

According to the Honourable Deepak Balgobin, Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, this project marks the beginning of a new chapter in the digitalisation strategy of Mauritius: “The coming months promise to be innovative for patients, health professionals, and IT professionals alike.”

In her speech, Ms. Amanda Serumaga, UNDP Resident Representative stated that “through this consolidated portfolio of digital Health projects, the UNDP seeks to complement the recovery and digital transformation journey of the Ministry of Health and Wellness by strengthening response capacities”.

The UNDP will extend its support to this National project by inviting expressions of interest from organisations and consortiums for the implementation of the National E-Health solution. The implementation of a Patient Administration System in all Public Health Institutions is also in the pipeline.