Summary

SAI Mauritius conducted a performance audit of the Ministry of Health and Wellness in planning and providing catering services to inpatients*. The audit covered the period from 2023 to January 2025. Auditors noted the absence of specific (exclusively for public hospitals) guidelines and standard operating procedures to guide hospital catering operations, inadequate oversight and lack of key performance indicators to assess the efficiency and effectiveness of catering services, non-compliance with food hygiene and safety regulations, inadequate nutritional assessment and meal planning, as well as inefficient use of allocated funds due to the lack of an internal monitoring system and limited financial information. Recommendations of SAI Mauritius focused on addressing the identified violations. _________________________________ * In the 2023–2024 financial year, the Ministry spent about 180 million rupees (about 3.8 million US dollars) on the purchase of foodstuffs and staff costs (currently, there are about 160 staff working in 12 catering units).