Brief on the organisation
Since its inception in 1989, the Mauritius Institute of Health (MIH) has served as the training and research arm of the Ministry of Health and Wellness alongside its other objectives. Its mission is to promote the health and quality of life of society through comprehensive training and health systems research, aiming to become a centre of excellence in health and related fields for Mauritius as well as the region.
Health systems research provides health managers and communities with essential information for decision-making, aiming to improve health outcomes by enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of health systems within the context of socio-economic development.
MIH addresses health systems needs through research capacity building and through targeted and impactful research that informs policy decisions, shapes healthcare strategies, and strengthens health interventions. Key research areas have included:
- Non-Communicable Diseases: focuses on prevention and management solutions aiming to reduce the burden of these diseases.
- Maternal and Child Health: looks at improving outcomes for mothers and children, includes studies on birth defects, breastfeeding, contraceptive prevalence, teenage pregnancy, abortion, etc.
- Infectious Diseases and Epidemiology: emphasis is on addressing emerging infections, and preparedness for potential epidemics and pandemics.
- Mental Health: aims at understanding mental health issues and developing strategies to improve access to mental health services and reduce stigma.
More recently, research has led to the instauration of CCTV cameras in hospitals to forestall violence. Moreover, the Virtual Health Library Mauritius (VHLM), awarded silver by NPCC, provides health professionals with access to no less than 200,000 academic and professional peer-reviewed contents from international databases covering a wide range of scientific, technical and medical specialties.
Looking ahead, MIH continues to foster national and international collaborations, aiming to stay at the forefront of health research and training to drive sustainable public health improvements.
