The Public Health and Food Safety (PHFS) Inspectorate Unit is responsible for the protection of public health in order to promote a healthy living environment. It enforces, inter-alia, the Public Health Act 1925, the Food Act 2022, the Quarantine Act 2020 and its Regulations, the Dangerous Chemicals Control Act as subsequently amended and other related Regulations including the International Health Regulations. Its objective is to sustain measures for the prevention and control of communicable diseases, environmental sanitation, and food safety.

The different activities include:

• Environmental sanitation;
• Prevention and control of epidemic-prone communicable diseases (vector-borne diseases);
• Food safety control comprising food hygiene, food seizures, food sampling, food handlers training, food poisoning, Pre-Market Approval Permit (PMAP); Food Import Unit, Squad Operations and school canteens inspections;
• Tobacco control;
• Port Health Activities namely the Sea Port and the Airport; and
• Rodent control.

In Mauritius, the management of public health risks such as unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, noise, and odor pollution, require institutional and technical capacities in order to assess, correct, control, and prevent those risks in the environment that can potentially affect adversely the health of present and future generations. As the Environment Protection Act (2002), the responsibility to manage these public health risks falls under the purview of the EHEU of Ministry of Health and Wellness.

The Professional Cadre of the EHEU also assists the Project Implementation Unit of the Ministry as regards to conception and implementation of civil construction related to projects of the Ministry. In this respect, this unit also participates in evaluation, preparation of Terms of Reference for major projects and attending site visits/meetings with consultants and contractors.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2005, the Occupational Health Unit which operates under the aegis of the MOHW, caters for workers employed in the public sector. The Dangerous Chemicals Control Board, the Migrant Worker Section and the PER Section are other sections that fall under the Occupational Health Unit. The aim of an Occupational Health Service is to have a healthy workforce.

The Communicable Disease Control Unit (CDCU) at national level is under the supervision of the RPHS of CDCU and Director Health Services (Preventive). It serves as the primary agency for the control and prevention of communicable diseases. CDCU manages and coordinates the work at the regional level, is responsible for the analysis and interpretation of data, submission of reports, which are essential for the planning, implementation and evaluation of appropriate public health measures.

The Government Analyst Division (GAD) is the Chemistry Laboratory of the MOHW and falls under the directorate of Public Health of the Ministry. The GAD caters for both public and private entities.  Private firms and individuals are charged fees for services from GAD.

The activities at the Division include: Food analysis as per Food Act 2022, Alcohol analysis as per Exercise Act, Drinking water analysis as per Environmental Protection Act 2002, Toxicological screening for body fluids from patients in poisoning cases, Heavy metals in Biomedical samples, Determination of blood cholinesterase level for sprayer men, Heavy metals in Body fluids for industrial workers, Dialysis water quality from Haemodialysis Unit, Methadone quality for Harm Reduction Unit, Determination of alcoholic strength, Determination of Sugar content in foods, Samples submitted by the Dangerous Chemical Control Board, Quality Control of Pharmaceuticals, Analysis of food samples served during official banquets.

The responsibilities of vector studies, surveillance and strategical control are vested to the Vector Biology and Control Division (VBCD) of the MOHW.  The overarching objective of the Division is to gear Mauritius to be free from resurging/newly emerging vector-borne diseases and to prone efficient control of existing vectors of such diseases in the country.