President views progress of new NIHSS building under construction |28 May 2022

President Wavel Ramkalawan, accompanied by a delegation, recently visited the site where the new National Institute for Health and Social Studies building is going up at Mont Fleuri.

The objective of the visit was to view firsthand the progress so far and discuss the project in general.

Following the tour of the compound, President Ramkalawan said he is very satisfied with the progress of construction of the new National Institute for Health and Social Studies (NIHSS) campus.

He also stated how impressed he was with the efforts made by the Ministry of Health along with the contractor, Vijay Construction, in order to maintain the architecture of this historical 70-year-old building while also ensuring the NIHSS students are provided with a modern and spacious training institute.

The visit was also an opportunity to discuss on site the practicality of some of the assigned features of the building, how they could be improved and how the Ministry of Health could make better use of the additional space now available within the new plan.

The delegation also viewed one of the completed laboratories as a model of what is expected upon completion.

The new building will include ground plus two floors in order to accommodate more classrooms, laboratories, administration offices, practical halls, a canteen and other multi-purpose rooms.

The next review is expected to take place in September 2022 where a thorough assessment of the progress of the building and a review of the estimated timeline of completion will be given.

Also present for the visit was Vice-President Ahmed Afif; Minister for Health Peggy Vidot; principal secretary for Health, Dr Justin Valentin; director of NIHSS Ibrahim Ally; managing director of Vijay Construction Limited, Vijay Patel and members of his technical team.

The new NIHSS is being built at the previous site of the Princess Elizabeth Nurses Home built in 1950.

The signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Health and Vijay Construction Ltd was held in January 2022 for the construction of a new health training facility.

The accompanying photos were taken by chief press secretary Nadine Jack.

Press release from the Office of the President