Exploring the that means of My well being, my proper

World Well being Day 2024 was marked with function by member States, WHO Nation Places of work and their companions the world over, bringing to a detailed the WHO’s 75^th anniversary 12 months celebrations. This 12 months’s actions have been guided by the theme, My well being, my proper, and its message in favour of obtainable, accessible and acceptable well being care.

After a morning celebration with a well being promotion marketing campaign in Quatre Bornes honored by the presence of Minister of Well being and Wellness, the Minister of Atmosphere, the Mayor of Quatre Bornes and of parliamentarians, WHO additionally closed the celebration of WHO’s 75^th anniversary by the launching of a stamp to be able to immortalize this particular 12 months and to thank all those that participated within the many celebrations marking the occasion in Mauritius. 

Within the true spirit of this 12 months’s World Well being Day theme — My well being, my proper — the WHO Mauritius group determined to rejoice with kids and younger adults with particular training wants – respecting due to this fact the UN incapacity inclusion technique – and, afterwards, with oldest-old girls.   

Time with these superb kids and these enthusiastic girls was awe inspiring. It first demonstrated how, in Mauritius, actual efforts are being made towards bringing entry to high quality well being care to all. It additionally showcased the unstinting dedication of well being professionals serving essentially the most weak.

Based in 1987 by Josiane Ah Siong, the Affiliation des Mother and father pour la Rehabilitation des Infirmes Moteurs (APRIM) works with 35 kids and younger adults dwelling with bodily and mental disabilities. For Mrs Ah Siong, who undertook the problem of making this pioneering NGO with different dad and mom following the start of her bodily disabled daughter Axelle, the centre is a labour of affection.

Certainly, the affiliation, gives training and specialised developmental actions resembling occupational remedy to a whole bunch of Mauritian youths while additionally coaching their dad and mom to raised assist their kids.

The APRIM group described the numerous progresses made because the opening of the middle within the Eighties with new tools higher tailored to the wants of the kids and well being professionals higher skilled in specialised remedy, with the assist of the Ministry of Schooling of the Ministry of social affairs. Nonetheless, APRIM additionally expressed their worries from the change of remuneration construction for specialists in addition to the discontinued training in occupational and  speech therapists which might hamper facilities like APRIM to establish and retain the wanted certified personnel. Mother and father, who’ve adopted APRIM as a second house, have additionally identified the absence of public transport accessible to folks with disabilities.

At WHO, we set nice retailer by the not too long ago handed Safety and Promotion of the Rights of Individuals with Disabilities Act, which is the domestication of the United Nations Conference on the Rights of Individuals with Disabilities. We hope the brand new incapacity invoice successfully addresses the issues of well being professionals and of households caring for the 84,000 Mauritians dwelling with disabilities, providing them higher safety and guaranteeing they take pleasure in equal alternatives much like any males, girls or kids in Mauritius.

Mère-Augustine Dwelling for Girls is managed by a equally dedicated group of individuals, like Sister Willina and Sonia. The House is run by the Congrégation des Sœurs de Charité de Notre-Dame-Du-Bon-Et-Perpétuel-Secours. Its 11 workers take care of 56 sufferers, the oldest of whom is 97. Many of the sufferers are despatched by the Ministry of Social Affairs.   One of the Mere Augustine Dwelling’s fundamental problem is maintaining with the rising demand for admission related to Mauritius ageing inhabitants.  

Certainly, between 2000 and 2021, the proportion of the inhabitants aged 60 and above greater than doubled, from 9% to 18.7%. And this pattern is about to speed up with an estimated one Mauritian in three aged 60 or above by 2061, whereas the share of “oldest, outdated folks” (80 and over) is about to extend twofold.

WHO Mauritius works with the Authorities of Mauritius to handle the rising wants of this ageing inhabitants. Certainly the Built-in Look after Older Individuals (ICOPE) technique launched in March 2023 has already skilled 32 well being professionals from multidisciplinary backgrounds which have themselves  prepare 500 fellow professionals for systematic screening, early detection and referral of visual impairment, hearing loss, cognitive decline, malnutrition, mobility loss, and depressive symptoms.

At WHO, we attempt to work with Mauritius towards attaining Common Well being Protection, respecting the Proper to Well being for All and Leaving No One Behind. It was necessary for us to make sure our celebration of this 12 months world well being day clearly marked the tone of our aspirations. We thank AFRIM and Mere Augustine Dwelling for Girls for sharing with us their expertise and engagement.