Seychelles Ministry of Health Unveils New Era of Care Reform Programme
VICTORIA, Seychelles —
The Ministry of Health on Monday launched a national reform programme branded “New Era of Care — Reform with Heart,” setting out seven strategic pillars to modernise patient experience, support the health workforce, and re-engineer service delivery across Seychelles.
The launch, held yesterday at the International Conference Centre Seychelles (ICCS), was led by the Minister for Health, Dr Marvin Fanny, who used his address to frame the reform around both patients and the people who care for them. “As we advance our vision of a New Era of Care — Reform with Heart, let me be clear: this transformation is not about systems alone, it is about you. It is about building a health sector where you are supported, empowered, fairly treated, and given the tools to excel,” the Minister said, in remarks reported by Africa-Press Seychelles.
According to a Facebook post by Today In Seychelles covering the event, the Minister addressed health professionals and outlined the vision for transforming healthcare through the seven strategic reform pillars, including patient-centred service redesign, workforce conditions, and digital modernisation.
The programme lands as the Ministry completes a long-running structural reset. The Health Care Agency (Repeal) Act, 2026, assented to in March and brought into force on 31 March 2026 by Vice-President Sebastien Pillay, dissolved the Health Care Agency created in 2013 and transferred all operational, service delivery, regulatory and administrative functions back to the Ministry, the Official Gazette records. The Ministry has spent the months since then rebuilding internal policy, planning, and accountability functions under Principal Secretary for Policy, Strategy and Accountability Dr Sanjeev Kumar Pugazhendhi, who joined on 1 December 2026, and Principal Secretary for Health Services Dr Sandra Crewe.
The reform also takes forward priorities identified in the World Health Organization Country Cooperation Strategy 2024 to 2030 for Seychelles, which is fully aligned with the National Health Strategic Plan 2022 to 2026 and aims to “promote, deliver and safeguard the health and wellbeing of all people in Seychelles.” That strategic plan, published in January 2022 under Minister Peggy Vidot, set out six strategic directions spanning governance, universal health coverage, health security, healthy populations, investment for results, and data for impact, after an earlier World Bank analytical paper had documented the country’s road to universal health coverage.
Workforce conditions sit at the centre of the new reform. In his World Health Day message in April 2026, the Minister said the Government was “committed to strengthening working conditions, investing in your development, and restoring pride and confidence in our health services.” That emphasis reflects the Strategic Direction Five of the NHSP, which calls for a national Human Resources for Health Strategy covering production, recruitment, deployment, retention and remuneration, and for “care for the carers” across the system.
The launch comes as the Ministry presses ahead with infrastructure and digital work, including the Ile Soleil Health Centre in Anse Aux Pins, which is due for completion later this year, and ongoing rollout of the Electronic Health Information System. The Ministry is also working with the Commonwealth Secretariat and the World Health Organization on a digital health maturity assessment to set a baseline for future investment in e-health.
Sources cited: 1. Ministry of Health Seychelles, “The Minister”,
