Heart disease An alarming health crisis

Every day in Mauritius, 15 to 20 patients visit the country’s hospitals for heart-related problems. This was revealed by Dr Sunil Gunness, Director of the Heart Centre, on Wednesday during activities marking the World Heart Day. 15 angiographies are performed every day, at the Heart Centre in Pamplemousses or at the Cardiac Units of A.G. Jeetoo and Victoria hospitals. Among those patients, there are a dozen cases of ‘dilatation’ and at least four heart operations are undertaken every day, Dr Gunness underlined. He also revealed that there are younger people suffering from cardiovascular disease. The high prevalence of cardiovascular disease is attributed to the fact that “the country is developing too fast and that we are victims of our success.” The surgeon considers that people are suffering from too much stress and that many have an unhealthy lifestyle and diet. “We do not dedicate much time to our health.” He however said that heart disease is not a fatality. According to him, Mauritius has made major progress in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases. On the same line, the Minister of Health Anil Gayan announced the opening of new Cardiac Centre. The centre will be in operation in a few months at the Victoria Hospital. For him, this decentralisation of the cardiology services will make care services more accessible. Moreover, the Ministry of Health has also acquired equipment for the practice of neurological surgeries in Mauritius. The surgery will be performed by Indian surgeons who will form a Mauritian team.