About Us

SACIM was founded in 1968 by Dr. Julia Maigrot and Mrs. Patricia Rountree. It was registered as an NGO in 1974 and was recognised by Government for providing assistance to needy children and received facilities such as office, hospital investigations, social inquiries and allocation of reduced rate airfares.

The aim of the Society was to alleviate the suffering of children having surgical disorders which were not operable in Mauritius. From its initial office in Floréal, SACIM began the challenging task of identifying the sick children in need of specialised surgeries. No doubt these procedures were much more complicated than today. SACIM managed to obtain the required collaboration of medical authorities in Mauritius and abroad, as well as fund raisers and donors among others.

Eda, at the age of 11 years was sent abroad in 1971. She was diagnosed with Fallot's Tetralogy which required surgical intervention. She was sent to Terre des Hommes Hospital in Switzerland for a procedure to improve blood flow to her heart. Her surgery was successful and she returned to Mauritius in much improved health condition. She is now married and is a dressmaker and is mother of four children. Mrs. Eda continues to receive regular medical follow-up by SACIM doctors to ensure her ongoing health and well-being. Moreover, 215 cardiac operations were successfully carried out in Australia (Melbourne, Perth Adelaide, Sydney in 1973 onwards. In Australia, the patients were looked after by Mauritians settled there, who acted as foster parents.

Subsequently in 1985, another young girl was sent on 3 occasions at the Groote Shuur Hospital in South Africa for a heart problem. SACIM continued to provide her with care for three years until she had fully recovered in 1988. This proves that the mission of SACIM extends far beyond the initial treatment of any patient for it is always committed to the well-being and complete recovery of its patients.

In 1992, Mauritius witnessed a very rare phenomenon when Siamese twin boys were born. The two babies were physically connected to each other with underlying cardiac problem. Exceptionally, SACIM took up the challenge to handle this case by sending the babies to the Red Cross Hospital in Cape Town. In this context, SACIM made a fervent appeal for voluntary donations across the island to arrange for this very complex and life-saving surgery. The response was very positive and SACIM managed to collect the required funds. The twins were separated during a 10 hours’ operation but unfortunately only one baby survived. He is now a grown up healthy young man and is earning his living.

In 2002, two sisters were sent to Perth for specialized eye treatment related to Sarcoidosis (Blau's syndrome) which was identified as genetical disease. They were taken care by the Children of Mauritius Medical and Surgical Support Association, Western Australia (COMMSSA-WA) – an NGO set up by Mauritian medical professionals settled in Australia. In 2010, another sister from the same family was sent for the same medical condition. During the same year two siblings from a family in Rodrigues were also referred for genetic eye problems to Perth. The children of the two families are still having continuous medical care and support from SACIM and COMMSSA-WA. Subsequently, SACIM referred other cases to Australia, namely for spinal deformities.

Since the early 90’s SACIM has been sending cardiac patients to different medical centers in India such as Calcutta, Madras, Bombay & Bangalore. As from 2015, the Society also started sending patients to Bangalore for other pathologies: orthopaedic congenital deformation, mandibular tumour, Cochlear Implant and median nerve repair. These cases were the first of their kinds ever referred by SACIM and all had positive outcomes.

In 2019, SACIM decided to support certain specialised surgeries locally in private clinics having the required facilities and competencies. Furthermore, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic when travel restrictions were imposed, SACIM took the opportunity to arrange for children to be operated. So far, 38 surgeries have been undertaken on 27 patients. These surgeries included several neo-natal malformations which had to be dealt urgently in order to save the babies’ lives. With the end of travel restrictions in 2022, SACIM has restarted to progressively refer children abroad.