PM hails health frontliners as national heroes

He was speaking at a ceremony held at the
Flacq Hospital to pay tribute to the frontliners of the health sector.  The Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr
Kailesh Kumar Singh Jagutpal, and the frontliners of the health sector, were
present.  A one-minute silence was
observed for citizens who have lost their lives to the Covid-19.

Following the ceremony, the Prime Minister visited
the Covid-19 testing centre set up at the Hospital.  It is recalled that such centres have been
set up across the other regional hospitals to screen patients who have Covid-19
symptoms and thus help curb the spread of disease in Mauritius.

In his statement, Mr Jugnauth observed
that, if today, Mauritius has recorded no new Covid-19 local positive case over
more than a month, it is largely due to the dedication of the healthcare
personnel, as well as to the treatment administered, that has ensured that the
322 patients out of the 334 recorded cases, have been successfully treated.

The Prime Minister also highlighted that the
sanitary protocol, including the quarantine measures, in place in Mauritius has
effectively held in check the Covid-19.  Moreover,
he paid homage to those who have succumbed to the Covid-19, among whom a great
professional of the health sector, Dr Bruno Cheong.  Therefore, to honour him, Government has
decided to rename the Flacq Hospital as the Dr Bruno Cheong Hospital, he
announced.

Similarly, to Dr Cheong, the work of the
healthcare personnel has not been an easy one and everyone was mobilised way
before the first cases appeared in Mauritius, said Mr Jugnauth.  They have worked 24/7 to ensure that health
services are ready to face the challenge when the disease would appear in
Mauritius and they have given their best to protect the population by taking up
numerous risks, the Prime Minister stated.

Furthermore, he observed that history will
recognise the contributions made by the healthcare personnel as a whole in
these dire moments as well as the extraordinary work of Officers of the
Ministry of Health and Wellness to screen citizens who have been suspected to
carry the virus or who have been in contact with contaminated patients.

The work accomplished by the contact
tracing team has been incredible, and, presently advanced economies are
starting to implement the contact tracing system, Mr Jugnauth indicated.

According to him, Mauritius is now
embarking on a new phase which will lead to easing the lockdown, and all
efforts and precautionary measures are evolving in a positive direction.  He expressed conviction that the health of
the population will remain well protected thanks to the professionalism of the healthcare
personnel.

The Prime Minister also appealed to the
population to remain cautious and expressed pride that Mauritius is among the
first on the African continent to have carried out mass screenings.  On the global level, when compared to the United
Kingdom and Germany we are carrying out more tests but this fight will continue,
he recalled.  We will return to a new
sense of normal but continue follow sanitary measures, he added.

For his part, Minister Jagutpal, lauded the
Prime Minister’s commitment vis-à-vis the health sector and in ensuring the
safety of the population by rolling out precautionary measures to face the
Covid-19 challenge. 

Speaking about Covid-19 figures for
Mauritius, the Minister stated that no new positive case being reported for
over a month denote that sanitary measures have been well implemented.  All of this has been made possible with the
collaboration of all frontliners comprising health personnel, Police Force,
contact tracing teams, as well as the population, to contain the spread of the
virus, he stated.  Covid-19 is still a
pandemic and is still present in the world, and therefore we have to be alert,
he warned.

#ResOuLakaz     #BeSafeMoris

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