The Republic of Mauritius has been described by some observers as Small but Mighty, and by some others as Small but Powerful and none of these descriptions is wrong.
It's an amazingly progressive nation. Located close to the shores of Africa, surrounded by all of the corruption, lack and poverty in the Subsaharan African region and yet has dared to be different.
Geographically it is located in the Southwestern part of the Indian Ocean, 1200 miles from the SouthEast coast of the African continent.
Some neighboring nations are : Reunion, Madagascar, Mayotte, Comoros and Seychelles.
The country has several islands, some of which are the primary islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues, Saint Brandon, and Agalega. Two of these islands. Mauritius and Rodrigues form part of the Mascarene Islands. The largest city which is also the capital city is Port Louis.
The country occupies an area of about 2,040 km Sq.
The 2014 population estimate was 1,261,208, while an actual census carried out in 2011 put the population at 1,236,817.
The languages in the region are : Mauritian Creole, French and English.
Many Mauritians have been said to be bilingual, with many of them speaking both English and French. Some are also trilingual.
Historically, she gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1968 and became a republic in 1992.
The nation enjoys a stable middle level economy and a stable government.
The economy thrives on the manufacturing of sugar, clothing and textiles as well as tourism.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Mauritius
From its Health indicators, it can be seen that the nation has succeeded where many have failed : life expectancy is 75 years, under 5 mortality is 13.5/1000 live births, maternal mortality ratio is 18 /100000 live births. (WHO)
Contrary to what obtains in most developing nations in the Subsaharan region, Mauritius now battles non communicable diseases like the developed nations.
Non communicable diseases have been said to constitute about 80% of the disease burden in the region.
Hypertension and diabetes together with their complications have been seen to top the list, Cancer has been identified as the third most common killer in the nation.
The country also battles the common risk factors for non communicable diseases. This is inevitable following the rapid industrialization and a change in the lifestyle of the people. Top on the list are obesity, alcoholism, tobacco smoking,
HIV and AIDS is also on the increase in the nation.
http://www.who.int/countryfocus/cooperation_strategy/ccsbrief_mauritius_en.pdf
Health is said to be a human rights issue in Mauritius and as such, public care services are free and tax funded.
Mauritius is one of the few countries in the African Region with a good doctor to patient ratio (898 inhabitants per doctor) and with a national plan to foresee how the industry would develop in the future.(WHO)
Malaria a major public health issue in Sub Saharan Africa has also been eradicated in Mauritius.
Obviously there are many lessons to be learnt from this country and my hope is that other African leaders can glean from the wealth of knowledge and experience being demonstrated in Mauritius to effect changes in their own nations, for a better World.
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