The Ministry
Background
The Ministry of Health and Wellness has the overall responsibility of ensuring that quality and equitable health services are accessible to the entire population at all times. Its policy is to continually improve the delivery of health care by promoting greater efficiency and effectiveness while laying emphasis on customer satisfaction. The Ministry is also responsible to promote healthy lifestyle.
The Public Health Services are designed to ensure Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Around 73% of the population uses the Public Health System for healthcare needs at no end-user costs.
The Public Health System comprise 114 Community Health Centres, 19 Area Health Centres, 6 Mediclinics, 2 Community Hospitals, 2 District Hospitals, 5 Regional Hospitals and 6 Specialised Hospitals. The total number of beds were numbered 3,803 as at end of year 2021. As at May 2022, there were around 12,800 staff at the Ministry of Health and Wellness, 309 staff at the Trust Fund for Specialised Medical Care and 27 staff at the Mauritius Institute of Health.
Our Vision
A healthy nation with a constantly improving quality of life and well-being.
Our Mission
Reinforce our health services into a modern high performing quality health system, that is patient-centred, accessible, equitable, efficient and innovative.
Improve quality of life and well-being of the population through the prevention of communicable and non-communicable diseases, promote healthy lifestyles and an environment conducive to health.
Harness the full potential of Information and Communication Technology to empower people to live healthy lives.
Ensure that the available human, financial and physical resources lead to the achievement of better health outcomes.
Facilitate the development of the Republic of Mauritius into a medical and knowledge hub and support the advancement of health tourism.
Roles and Functions
The role and functions of the Ministry of Health and Wellness are to:
- Develop a comprehensive health service in order to meet the health needs of the population.
- Investigate the influence of physical environment and psycho-social domestic factors on the incidence of human diseases and disability.
- Plan and carry out measures for the promotion of health.
- Institute and maintain measures for the prevention of diseases including Non-Communicable Diseases and the epidemiological surveillance of important communicable diseases.
- Provide facilities for the treatment of diseases, including mental disease by maintenance of hospital and dispensary services;
- Make provisions for the rehabilitation of the disabled.
- Control the practice of medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and allied health professionals.
- Provide facilities for the training of Nursing Officers, Midwives, ancillary hospital and laboratory staff and Health Inspectors.
- Advise local government authorities regarding their health services and to inspect those services.
- Prepare and publish reports and statistical data and other information relating to health.
- Implement a Family Planning, Maternal and Child Health Programme.
- Initiate and conduct operational bio-medical health studies of diseases of major importance in the country.
Customer Charter
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
Constitution of the World Health Organization, 1948
The Ministry of Health and Wellness became a party to the Constitution of the World Health Organization on 09 December 1968.
The Ministry adopted its Customer Charter in December 2020. The Customer Charter indicates the core services that the Ministry provides and defines its commitments and obligations, its customer’s rights and obligations, as well as explicit mechanisms to address complaints.