Partnership objectives
- Raise awareness on cardiovascular diseases;
- Improve health education and access to high-standard medical services on the island.
The project focuses on strokes awareness raising, physical therapy, speech therapy, counselling and adaptation for patients, caregivers and families, as well as on providing training for up-skilled caregivers, nurses, healthcare professionals.
Copyright Photo credits: Boehringer Ingelheim
What are the health needs and challenges?
On the island nation of Mauritius, the population presents a very high genetic predisposition to cardiac disease. Myocardial infarction (MI) is common across all ages in Mauritius, with some patients in their twenties. Many forty year olds have had a second infarct. Stroke is also common in Mauritius, with young people suffering stroke on the increase. Stroke can have very subtle and indistinguishable symptoms, leading to very late patient presentation at the hospital – sometimes days or even weeks after the event, making it very difficult to reduce long-term damage.
Description of partnership activities and how they address needs and challenges
The accident and emergency (A&E) of Mauritius have already implemented an efficient system of picking up stroke patients and taking them to the correct centre to undergo treatment; and physicians are well trained and hospitals equipped adequately to handle a stroke patient. For this reason, this project mainly focuses on strokes awareness raising, which implies knowing whom to contact in the event and what measures to take in prevention, such as behavioural changes.
In addition to this, after a stroke, most patients are left to fend for themselves, though many suffer from physical and mental injury and thus battle to adjust. Hence, the project aims to equip a ward in order to offer physical therapy, speech therapy, counselling and adaptation not just for the patient, but also for caregivers and family members.
Finally, the project has the objective to raise the number of up-skilled caregivers, nurses, healthcare professionals and wards equipped to deal with their patients, particularly by involving NGOs in Mauritius, which can actively engage with patients.