{"id":45769,"date":"2026-04-13T14:51:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T10:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/?p=45769"},"modified":"2026-04-13T14:51:00","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T10:51:00","slug":"nurses-the-invaluable-backbone-of-mauritius-healthcare-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mauritiustimes.com\/mt\/nurses-the-invaluable-backbone-of-mauritius-healthcare-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Nurses: The Invaluable Backbone of Mauritius\u2019 Healthcare System"},"content":{"rendered":"

Opinion<\/u><\/span><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n

By Vina Ballgobin<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

According to the World Bank and the National Audit Office, the Government of Mauritius has invested heavily in ensuring all its citizens have access to basic public health services. Nevertheless, while coverage is broad, both institutions identified \u201csome gaps in the quality of services delivered\u201d and \u201cserious challenges in ensuring quality and consistency of provision and efficiency of spending.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Usually, local newspapers report isolated incidents where public hospital staff are often unfairly relegated as being \u201cincompetent\u201d and \u201cheartless.\u201d Every profession has its lame ducks worldwide. But do these occasional headlines offer a fair reflection of the healthcare realities? Or are they only symptoms of a collapsing system under the weight of staff depletion?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/span><\/p>\n

The Myth of Perfection.<\/strong> There is an unspoken rule in Mauritius that the hands holding our lives must never waver, making “discipline and perfection” the mandatory standard for our nurses and doctors. Yet, this sits in stark contrast to our broader national ethos, which often encourages rest and a slower pace. Why do we impose this double standard? By demanding flawlessness in hospitals while celebrating a relaxed culture elsewhere, we effectively strip our healthcare providers of their right to be human.<\/span><\/p>\n

What does an outside observer truly see in our hospital staff? They might notice a doctor or nurse who rarely smiles and avoids small talk. While they listen to patients and anxious relatives, their responses are often clipped or devoid of guidance. Younger staff, marked by a hollow, weary gaze, tend to be blunt and uncompromising. To the untrained eye, this suggests a lack of empathy; however, it is often a symptom of a workforce operating on the edge of exhaustion.<\/span><\/p>\n

But what if we viewed Mauritian public hospitals through a different lens? Perfection is an illusion, but presence<\/strong> is a reality that makes all the difference. Hospital staff are steadfastly there when patients and families need them most. While \u201cniceness\u201d is understandably absent when managing a ward of 40 or more patients daily, \u201ckindness\u201d is omnipresent in their labour.<\/span><\/p>\n

When a patient\u2019s condition becomes critical — perhaps their oxygen levels plummet in the dead of night — it is that same \u201cblunt\u201d or \u201ccold\u201d nurse who holds the patient\u2019s hand to offer comfort. It is they who summon the specialist, perform the life-saving interventions, and remain vigilant until dawn if necessary. They may lack the polish of \u201ccustomer care,\u201d but they never waver in their duty.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Candos Hospital Cardiac Ward Magic.<\/strong> In the shadow of a national health crisis — where non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for 81% of mortality in 2021 despite ongoing sensitisation regarding healthy living — the Outpatient Cardiac Ward at Candos serves as a sanctuary of improvised efficiency.<\/span><\/p>\n

Every Friday, a \u201csilent magic\u201d unfolds within a small waiting room packed with an estimated 300 to 400 patients. All are scheduled to see generalists and specialists in a narrow window between 08:30 and 13:00.<\/span><\/p>\n

The reception desk sits at the heart of the room, flanked by nurses\u2019 cabins on the left and those of doctors and specialists on the right. Benches and chairs for patients and their families occupy the remaining space at the front. By 10:00, the room is overflowing; seniors in wheelchairs often line the left side, nearly blocking the path. Yet, a steady stream of patients flows in a straight line from the main entrance to the desk before branching off as required.<\/span><\/p>\n

Given that the building was never designed to cater to such a rapidly increasing volume of appointments, the staff must constantly improvise to maintain order. To an observer, this is a \u201cwell-orchestrated and choreographed dance\u201d where every staff member intuitively knows their role. Even regular patients participate in this rhythm, familiar with the various stages of the process and readily briefing newcomers on what to expect.<\/span><\/p>\n

Each patient or family member drops their hospital card in a box at the reception desk upon arrival. A nurse regularly collects patients\u2019 cards from the reception desk box, rushes to the ICU building to retrieve patients\u2019 files. Then, patients are called on a first-come, first-served basis. Nurses gather medical information such as patients\u2019 blood pressure, temperature and weight,<\/span><\/p>\n

Usually, one nurse stands out as a figure of quiet leadership in the waiting room. She manages the overcrowded space with an all-encompassing gaze, redistributing seats, coordinating wheelchairs, and gently directing family members to make space for incoming patients. When seats are scarce, solidarity and humanity take over; relatives move to the back or wait outside, taking turns to sit as chairs become available. With quiet empathy, the nurse reassures the crowd, efficiently dividing patients into two streams: those heading to the nurses\u2019 cabins on the left and those bound for the specialists on the right.<\/span><\/p>\n

The healthcare system in Mauritius functions only because of staff like her. Nurses and doctors are acutely aware of the delays: often a one-hour wait between the reception desk and initial tests, followed by another thirty to sixty minutes to see a doctor. Amidst this, the staff is constantly in motion, working to reduce these wait times as much as humanly possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is the stark reality behind the \u201cbluntness\u201d the public so often criticizes. When the ratio is a mere three nurses to forty patients, and specialists are consulting nearly 500 people on the heels of marathon surgeries — at times without a single weekend or holiday to recover — there is simply no room for panic. They move with a quiet, deliberate pace; not because they are slow, but because they must take the time to think, ensuring that exhaustion never results in a fatal mistake.<\/span><\/p>\n

While many are lured by the higher salaries of the private sector or the siren song of foreign healthcare systems, those who remain in the public sector do so out of a quiet, determined loyalty to both their profession and their country. They have been the nation’s backbone, standing firm since the first wave of Covid-19 with no respite, no rest, and precious little sympathy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before criticizing a missing smile or a brief response, one must recognize the \u201cmagic\u201d they perform daily. From the humility of cleaning a bedbound patient to the precision of administering life-saving injections, they attend to every task with unwavering responsibility. They are the thin, exhausted line standing between a national health crisis and our collective hope in humanity.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond the Red Ribbon Cutting: The Cost of Cosmetic Governance.<\/strong> On one hand, successive governments boast of massive investments in new buildings and costly \u201chigh-tech\u201d centers — monuments that often serve as political lures before elections. On the other hand, the media paints a bleak picture of a system at its breaking point, crippled by staff shortages, equipment deficits, and medical errors. Far from the glamour of ceremonial inaugurations, Audit Reports tell a sobering story of systemic neglect:<\/span><\/p>\n

* Equipment Gap:<\/strong> Chronic lack of planning results in insufficient or idle equipment. When specialized medicines are unavailable or neonatal ventilators are in short supply, doctors and nurses are forced to make life-or-death decisions based on subjective parameters. This is not merely a resource issue; it is a profound psychological burden on an already exhausted workforce.<\/span><\/p>\n

* Training and Mentality Gap:<\/strong> Poor foresight has led to a dwindling pipeline of newly graduated doctors. Furthermore, many young professionals, possessing different expectations than the generation of the 1950s, quickly feel overwhelmed by the current environment. Consequently, they rapidly exit the public health system.<\/span><\/p>\n

* Maintenance Gap:<\/strong> The 2026 Audit Reports reveal a state of unattended administrative chaos regarding the Government Asset Register. There has been a haemorrhage of public funds, with the reports flagging significant sums in unaccounted-for assets, excessive spending on the repair of new vehicles, and soaring overtime payments for 2024\u20132025.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dignity Erosion in a Poor Work Environment.<\/strong> The physical environment is a direct catalyst for motivation. While wards remain clean and sanitized through the sheer effort of the staff, the walls tell a different story — paint is peeling or fading into neglect. Only the Children\u2019s Ward appears to receive the regular maintenance required to be truly welcoming. Even more pitiful is the state of the staff\u2019s white coats; many have faded to a weary, worn-out yellow, with some on the verge of becoming tattered. These coats are a silent indictment, screaming that the workforce has been forgotten for years.<\/span><\/p>\n

The elite may argue that a fresh coat of paint or a new uniform will not save lives. They are wrong; these are the foundations of restored dignity. Are these devoted professionals expected to indefinitely carry the burden of those who have left for greener pastures? Is it too much to ask for an environment that respects their humanity? What has been missing is not the “heart” or the “smile” of the staff, but concrete institutional actions to signal that their care is valued, even when the environment is far from pristine.<\/span><\/p>\n

Improvisation as an Art of Survival.<\/strong> If the system remains afloat despite all odds, it is primarily the public hospital staff, practicing the \u201cart of improvisation,\u201d who are holding it together. Working avec les moyens du bord<\/em>, these professionals act with immense resourcefulness, finding workarounds where systems fail. Their salaries do not reflect the stress or the incredible value they provide to the nation — especially when compared to the high salaries of the many ministerial \u201cadvisors\u201d whose contributions to the people remain a mystery.<\/span><\/p>\n

Research conducted in Mauritius has warned of the extreme resilience required of staff, even as they face a staggering 70% rate of burnout<\/strong> and emotional exhaustion. What some label as \u201cheartless\u201d behaviour is recognized by experts as \u201ccompassion fatigue,\u201d a direct result of chronic overwork. Such is the sad plight of these unfaltering pillars of Mauritian society: they navigate compromised work-life balances and psychological cracks, yet continue to hold the system together despite their exhaustion. Their true motivation is not the monthly salary provided by their employer; instead, they derive their energy from the \u201cthank yous\u201d and smiles of their patients. Nevertheless, how long can we honestly expect them to sustain a healthcare system when they are completely drained?<\/span><\/p>\n

A Call to Action.<\/strong> Mauritius lacks the deep-pocketed medical infrastructure of referral hubs like South Africa and still has a long road ahead to achieve the highest standards of specialized, advanced clinical care. For this reason, Mauritian authorities continue to send patients abroad for complex treatments. Yet, Mauritius fares better than many developing nations where healthcare is prohibitively expensive, the shortage of doctors is severe (one doctor for every 10,000 people in Bangladesh), and pharmaceutical products remain unregulated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Occupying this global \u201cmiddle ground,\u201d Mauritius possesses at its \u201cheart\u201d a universal reach in healthcare access. This provides a vital safety net, ensuring the population does not face bankruptcy or homelessness just to access medical care. It is pure humanity that drives our public hospitals and their staff. Ironically, as a reward for their tireless dedication, they are simply given more work — a true supplice de Tantale<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the hospital staff provides the heart of our nation\u2019s health, they deserve more than just our criticism or a fleeting minute of gratitude \u2013 they are worthy of a system that cares for them as they care for us. Their faded and jaded coats are a testament to their unwavering commitment. They are the \u201coverburdened\u201d who remain \u201coverachieving.\u201d Yet, how much longer can we rely on these \u201cgood hearts\u201d and \u201cpatriots\u201d to perform daily miracles in uniforms that have lost their lustre? This systemic neglect is inevitably wearing down the staff, even as they fight to maintain the mental and physical resolve to keep going.<\/span><\/p>\n

A hospital is more than its statistics, its wait times, or its budget deficits; it is defined by the dignity of those within its walls. Why is the professional dignity of our healthcare workers so neglected when the entire country would inevitably collapse without them? The time has come for Mauritian society to reflect on the debt it owes these frontline workers. Their salaries are pale reflections of the stress they endure — especially when compared to the numerous ministerial advisors whose actual contributions to the nation remain a mystery.<\/span><\/p>\n

References<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Ministry of Health and Wellness, Mauritius Non-Communicable Diseases Survey 2021,<\/em> July 2022.<\/span>
\nNational Audit Office, Reports of the Director of Audit (Financial years 2020-2021 to 2024-2025).
\n<\/em>World Bank Group, Mauritius Systematic Country Diagnostic,<\/em> 25 June 2015. <\/span>
\nWorld Health Organization, Global Health Observatory Data: Mauritius Profile,<\/em> 2021.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 10 April 2026<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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