(Seychelles News Agency) - A new agreement between Seychelles and Reunion – a French department in the Indian Ocean – will give Seychellois more opportunities for exchanges and researches in the health field.

The framework agreement for international cooperation was signed between the University Hospital Center (CHU) of Reunion, the Seychelles’ Ministry of Health and the University of Seychelles.

The signing, done virtually on Wednesday, allows for exchanges of teachers, researchers, students, and technical and administrative staff of the two islands. It also aims at strengthening the existing collaboration in training and research in the field of health.

The Minister for Health, Peggy Vidot, explained that the agreement will open a new way for the specialisation for young Seychellois doctors.

Vidot added that the ministry is aiming at an innovative programme for young doctors, a programme that has proved necessary following multiple difficulties encountered by the Ministry of Health acquiring more specialised and competent Seychellois doctors.

"This is one of our ambitious strategies to both have Seychellois doctors in key positions in the Seychelles Hospital, but also to improve the quality of care offered for our flagship hospital. I wholeheartedly thank France for coming to our aid in this process,” said Vidot.

The framework agreement for international cooperation was signed between the University Hospital Center (CHU) of Reunion, the Seychelles’ Ministry of Health and the University of Seychelles. (Seychelles Nation) Photo License: CC-BY

The Minister added that collaboration between Seychelles and Reunion in health matters dates back several years. “During all these years, we have concluded together many beneficial projects for Seychelles. I would like to believe that Reunion island has also benefited from it, through these fraternal exchanges, through this regional sharing, through these friendships,” added Vidot.

The French ambassador to the Seychelles - 115 islands in the western Indian Ocean – signed the agreement on behalf of the French government.

"This project is part of the long list of cooperation actions between our region and Seychelles, especially during this period of COVID-19 which saw the creation of working groups between Seychellois doctors and the Reunion University Hospital for exchanges by videoconference. The French Embassy and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs are honoured and proud to support this initiative for which I express my best wishes for success," said Ambassador Dominique Mas.

Mas added that the project is part of the long tradition of regional cooperation, supported by the European Union within the framework of INTERREG partnerships.

The ambassador explained that the new project is also part of the perspective of the next French presidency of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) which will focus on health, but also the mobility of students and researchers, as announced by the French President Emmanuel Macron during his speech in Reunion in 2019.

The agreement will allow the development of joint training programmes, joint research programmes, as well as a joint scientific direction of research work between the Universities of Reunion and Seychelles, Seychelles’ Ministry of Health and the Reunion Island University Hospital which is a nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical referent centre and rare disease referent centre.

Seychellois will be exposed to a wide range of health specialisations such as cardiac and vascular, infantile and neonatal, neurosurgery, severe burns, transplants, nuclear medicine, cancerology, and hematology-oncology amongst others.