[Blog] Let the patient be our compass

In the midst of escalating tensions between the Ministry of Health and the doctors’ trade union, the Mauritian public finds itself caught in a fog of grievances, accusations, and institutional fatigue. But beneath the noise lies a simple, sacred truth: the patient must come first.

The recent surprise visit by Minister Anil Bachoo revealed a troubling reality—medical officers absent from their posts during critical hours. This is not a minor infraction. It is a breach of public trust and a deviation from the Hippocratic oath that every doctor swears to uphold. Yet, in the aftermath, the discourse has shifted. The core issue of absenteeism has been diluted by a cascade of managerial grievances—delayed overtime payments, staffing shortages, and systemic debt. These are real concerns, but they are not ministerial failures. They are management challenges that require procedural clarity and institutional reform.

Let us not confuse the layers. Let us not weaponize one grievance to excuse another. The oath to serve is not conditional. It is not suspended by payroll delays or administrative dysfunction. The patient does not wait for budgetary alignment. The patient suffers in silence when systems fail and when duty is deferred.

Minister Bachoo has inherited a health system burdened by historical debt and structural inertia. His reform agenda—centered on regional excellence, urgent care reorganization, and cancer prevention—is ambitious and necessary. But no reform can succeed without the moral anchoring of those who deliver care. Doctors are not just employees. They are custodians of life. Their presence is not optional. It is sacred.

This is a call—not for confrontation, but for recommitment. I propose a Ceremonial Reaffirmation of the Oath, where doctors across Mauritius gather to publicly renew their pledge to serve, and where the Ministry commits to resolving managerial grievances with transparency and urgency. Let this be a moment of healing, not division.

The public, too, must rise—not as passive observers, but as moral arbitrators. We must demand accountability, yes, but also compassion. We must remind our institutions that governance is not a battleground—it is a covenant.

Let the patient be our compass. Let duty be our dialogue. And let this conflict become a catalyst for a more ethical, transparent, and united health system.

By Dharamraj Deenoo

A Civic Steward