Ambassador Pierre donates specialised surgical equipment to HCA |04 January 2020

Dr Louange (far left) accepts the donation from Ambassador Pierre (Photo: Anel Robert)

Seychelles’ permanent representative to the African Union, Ambassador David Pierre, on Tuesday donated some specialised surgical equipment to the Health Care Agency, in the presence of Minister Jean-Paul Adam.

The equipment, at a cost of around €7,000 includes a fibre optic endoscope and cystoscope to further support minimally-invasive surgical procedures in the hospital.

“As the new year is upon us, my family and I would like to express support for the work being done by our health professionals, and make this donation to help them achieve their goals. One of our family members is a health professional and we know they work extremely hard to deliver quality care to our public and patients,” Ambassador Pierre said.

Similar equipment has been acquired by the Health Care Agency (HCA) and ministry over the past year but the equipment donated by Ambassador Pierre boasts fibre optic capability which provides for a better experience for both the surgeon and for the patient.

“You will remember that early in 2019, we launched new services including laparoscopic surgery at Seychelles Hospital, that is keyhole surgery. These interventions are minimally-invasive, significantly reducing the time for which a patient is hospitalised, and drastically reducing recovery times. In line with this, the ministry purchased some necessary equipment towards the end of 2018 and during 2019 but, the ambassador upon learning about the efforts of the HCA wanted to contribute towards these services by purchasing equipment, namely, cystoscope and endoscope which will allow us to offer such procedures for bladder and kidney interventions. Additionally, it will greatly help in terms of diagnostics and surgical intervention and will offer our patients more comfort,” Minister Adam stated.

Minister Adam and HCA chief executive Danny Louange expressed their gratitude to Ambassador Pierre and his family for recognising the investment and efforts to improve the quality of health nationwide and for supporting the ministry.

Endoscopes allow for diagnosis of diseases within the oesophagus, stomach, colon, throat and abdomen. Most endoscopes are thin tubes with a powerful light and tiny camera at the end.

Laura Pillay