Seychelles, India promote public private partnership in health cooperation |05 October 2019

Health Minister Jean-Paul Adam met his Indian counterpart, Harsh Vardhan, last week in Delhi on the last leg of his one-week visit to India.

The visit included visits to hospitals in Chennai and Bangalore.

Minister Vardhan hailed the relationship between the two countries and reiterated the commitment of India to support the long term development of the health sector in Seychelles.

On his part, Minister Adam expressed the appreciation of Seychelles for India’s support and partnership, as illustrated through the donation of numerous medical equipment and medicines, which have helped shape a dramatic rise in quality care at the Seychelles Hospital.

The two ministers resolved to finalise the procurement of the health information system which will provide a further boost to health care services in Seychelles. Minister Vardhan confirmed that the final approvals would be confirmed imminently.

The ministers also discussed the proposed specialty hospital project. They noted that the viability of the project is clear from the feasibility study and also were encouraged by the strong interest from various hospitals to partner in such a project. The project can allow the development of medical tourism in Seychelles, while also providing high quality services to Seychellois citizens in relation to procedures that currently have to be referred overseas.

Minister Adam also briefed his counterpart on the importance of capacity building and human resource development for Seychelles’ short and long term health care strategies. With large numbers of young Seychellois doctors entering the service, the necessity for high level specialisation routes is imperative.

The ministers and their delegations exchanged views on models of how to improve opportunities for specialisation in India, noting that in many fields, cutting-edge practices and leading technologies are being used. They also discussed opportunities for enhancing training for nursing and allied health professionals through the Itec (Indian Technical Education Cooperation) programme.

Minister Adam also expressed the appreciation of the Seychelles government for the recent initiative to deploy high-level medical specialists to Seychelles also under the Itec programmes.

The Seychelles delegation accompanying the minister comprised Dr Loren Reginald, special advisor to the Minister; Dr Danny Louange, chief executive of the Health Care Agency; Dr Kenneth Henriette, director of the Seychelles Hospital; and Dr Xavier Rose, senior consultant pediatrician.

The accompanying photos show some highlights of the last leg of Minister Adam’s visit to India.