Senior Minister Plans Rs 200 million Clinic in Sodnac

Dr. Anwar Husnoo, the number 3 in the Mauritian government, is planning to build a private clinic in Quatre-Bornes. A request for an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) permit was submitted to the Ministry of Environment a few days ago.

Anwar Husnoo, who serves as the Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Administrations and Disaster Risk Management, intends to invest Rs 200 million in the construction of an 80-bed private clinic in Sodnac.

He has already obtained Outline Planning Permission from the Municipal Council of Quatre-Bornes for the project.

The land, which spans 3,193.35 m2 or 0.75 arpents, is located on Tulipes Avenue in Quatre-Bornes and borders the highway.

It was purchased approximately seven months ago on August 27th for Rs 19,632,310 by Dr. Anwar Husnoo and his wife, Khursheed Husnoo.

The project is being promoted by Vital Care Co. Ltd., a company incorporated on August 26, 2023. Dr. Anwar Husnoo and his wife each hold 100 shares in the company.

In the proposal submitted to the Ministry of Environment, the promoter highlighted the urgent need to increase the number of hospital beds in private clinics.

According to a health statistics report from 2020, Mauritius had a population of approximately 1,221,759 as of December 31, 2020.

The total number of beds in public hospitals in 2020 was 3,738, while in the private sector, it was 758.

The report also indicated that 32.6% of births in Mauritius in 2020 took place in private hospitals, demonstrating a growing preference for private healthcare services.

The document further emphasized the government’s significant investments in the healthcare sector but noted that private hospitals are essential to meet the increasing healthcare demands of the population.

The proposed clinic in Sodnac, named Quatre Bornes Medical Centre, aims to alleviate pressure on public hospitals and provide advanced medical treatments and modern equipment to benefit the population.

The clinic is designed to cater to the medical needs of residents in the Plaines Wilhems region and potentially serve the entire island, complementing the services provided by the government.

With the improvement of socio-economic conditions in the Mauritian population, there is an expectation for higher levels of medical care”.

Employment-wise, the operation of this clinic will generate “approximately 30 to 50 direct jobs, and 20 indirect jobs for residents in the surrounding areas”.

Among the services offered will be cardiology, endocrinology, diabetology, respiratory medicine, nephrology, neurology, allergology, geriatrics, dermatology, pediatrics including neonatology, and surgery. There will also be an emergency service.

The promoter highlights that total health expenditures in 2017 were Rs 25.91 billion, with Rs 12.04 billion spent by the Ministry of Health and Wellness, and household health expenditures amounting to around Rs 13.87 billion.

Total health expenditures as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product were 5.67%. “Currently, we have many patients who need to travel abroad for specialized treatment.

Therefore, our service should focus on providing high-quality care, so that these interventions can be carried out in Mauritius.

This will help the patient and families who, in many cases, cannot afford to accompany the patient abroad, as well as the government.

Furthermore, this can help develop medical tourism in the Southwest Indian Ocean region,” he explains.

Reacting to the private clinic project of Vice-Prime Minister Anwar Husnoo on her Facebook page, Joanna Bérenger, a member of the MMM, notes that “private clinics are multiplying lately because the number of patients is constantly increasing.

The government has no plan to address this. Private clinics are making a good living because the quality of care and infrastructure in public hospitals is unacceptable.”

In her view, instead of “taking their responsibilities and finding solutions, government members are making money off the suffering of people”.

Joanna Bérenger mentions the private hospitals owned by Dr. Zouberr Joomaye, an adviser to the Prime Minister, one of which located in Curepipe opened a few months ago.

“Today, there is a request for a private clinic in Sodnac. I am not surprised that this time, a member of the MSM’s front bench is the owner,” she said.

According to the MP, “Anwar Husnoo wants to profit off the suffering of sick people.” Before becoming Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Regional Administrations and Disaster Risk Management, Anwar Husnoo was the Minister of Health (January 24, 2017 – November 12, 2019).

Source: Defi Media