Newly appointed health minister conducts familiarisation tour of hospital |05 November 2016

The newly appointed Minister for Health and Social Affairs Jean-Paul Adam and other health officials yesterday toured the Seychelles Hospital to get an update on the hospital’s operating system.

Accompanying the minister were the secretary of state with specific responsibilities for health, Ambassador Maurice Loustau-Lalanne, principal secretary for health Dr Bernard Valentin, along with other high officials in the health department.

The visit enabled the recently appointed minister and his delegation to see first hand the condition of the hospital and find out what needs to be done so that patients can benefit from improved services.

“Since I am the new Minister for Health and Social Affairs, it was an opportunity for me to visit the health family, and also get an opportunity to dialogue with the patients. It is a work that I am enthusiastic to do, and with determination I want to bring the health department to a next level. Recently the health department has been the subject of much criticism, but it is a ministry that has got a good fundamental base. We have a strong team that love what they are doing; they do it with so much passion and love,” he said.

He added that they have identified three key elements within the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs so that it can have a much better organisation.

“Firstly we want to put together those two departments that form the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs and focus on social justice. We want to focus on people who are vulnerable, how do we look at their health, so that they can have access to better services in a more reasonable way. Secondly, we have to look at our service delivery, and make sure people can have access to our services and we respond to their demand. Those are things that cannot be done in one day, it will take time. But we have a good team and I know we can make a difference. I am ready to bring change in such department. The Ministry of Health has got the biggest budget in the country, and yes it will be a challenge to overcome those obstacles,” he said.

He noted that people expect many changes in the health department – from the staff to the citizens and patients.

“It is normal that people have expectations, but at the same time we must understand that it is a question of working every day, and each individual must work together so that we can bring a much better service to this department. Yes there will be problems, but we need transparency and accountability so that we can overcome those obstacles. In terms of sustainability, we need an equal health system in terms of treatment, medicine and the best possible care for each patient admitted at the hospital. Every rupee that we spend in health is actually a rupee that is making the country more sustainable, but we must continue to work and improve the situation,” he said.

During the visit the minister took time to interact with the patients at the hospital.

The accompanying photos show the minister and his team during their tour of the hospital.