The Seychelles Medical and Dental Council (SMDC) was created in 1994 by the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act. Its function is regulatory. The logo of SMDC depicts the

coco de mer Coco commonly refers to: * Coco (folklore), a mythical bogeyman in many Hispano- and Lusophone nations Coco may also refer to: People * Coco (given name), a first name, its shorthand, or unrelated nickname * Coco (surname), a list of people wit ...

, (the largest nut in the world and found only in Seychelles), cut in cross-section and sitting on part of the leaf of the coco de mer tree. It also depicts a unique and loose interpretation of the Rod or the

Staff of Asclepius In Greek mythology, the Rod of Asclepius (⚕; grc, Ράβδος του Ασκληπιού, , sometimes also spelled Asklepios), also known as the Staff of Aesculapius and as the asklepian, is a serpent-entwined rod wielded by the Greek god A ...

the symbol of healing. The two snakes around the staff bear some resemblance to the

Caduceus The caduceus (☤; ; la, cādūceus, from grc-gre, κηρύκειον "herald's wand, or staff") is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The same staff was also ...

but they are not meant to depict the Caduceus. One of the snakes is deliberately of a different blue colour. SMDC regulates both the medical and dental professions and the two slightly different and yet similar snakes around the staff are meant to represent these two professions of healing. The main mandate of the Council is to register medical practitioners and dentists before they are able to start work in Seychelles as a doctor or dentist. Any practicing doctor or dentist in

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...

who does not feature on the register of the Seychelles Medical and Dental Council is practicing medicine or dentistry illegally. The list of registered Medical Practitioners and Dentists who are duly registered by the Council and are therefore able to practise legally, is published in the Official Gazette or

Government gazette A government gazette (also known as an official gazette, official journal, official newspaper, official monitor or official bulletin) is a periodical publication that has been authorised to publish public or legal notices. It is usually establis ...

of Seychelles at the beginning of each year. The law dictates that this list must be published before 15 February of each year. The Seychelles Medical and Dental Council is also mandated to receive complaints from members of the public about the professional conduct or competence of medical practitioners and dentists and to investigate these complaints in a fair manner. The SMDC is additionally tasked with coordinating and facilitating the

continuing professional development Professional development is learning to earn or maintain professional credentials such as academic degrees to formal coursework, attending conferences, and informal learning opportunities situated in practice. It has been described as intensive ...

of all medical practitioners and dentists working in Seychelles. The current Chairman of the Seychelles Medical and Dental Council is Dr. Bernard Valentin. He was elected Chairman in November 2013 and his mandate will last until November 2015. The current governing board of the Seychelles Medical and Dental Council consists of twelve members, appointed by the Minister for Health. The minister appoints members of the board according to precise criteria prescribed by the Medical Practitioners and Dentists Act. Slots are reserved on the council for the representative of the Seychelles Medical and Dental Association, and any other professional association that regroups a sufficient number of doctors and/or dentists. The doctors and dentists elect one doctor and one dentist to represent them on the council. The offices of the Seychelles Medical and Dental Council are currently located in the Red Roof Building of ''Seychelles Hospital'', just opposite the Accident and Emergency Unit. The council's office is staffed by a registrar or assistant registrar.

The medical and dental professions in Seychelles

Seychelles is renowned for its 100%

primary health care Primary health care, or PHC, refers to "essential health care" that is based on scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and technology. This makes universal health care accessible to all individuals and families in a community. PHC in ...

coverage and for its high turnover of doctors and dentists. Of the roughly 150 doctors and dentists actively practicing in Seychelles, either in government health facilities or private facilities, about 60% are foreign-born. Non-naturalized foreign-born doctors spend an average of two years in Seychelles before they are repatriated to their countries of origin. Most foreign doctors currently come from

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

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China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

(for government health facilities) and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

for

Silhouette Island Silhouette Island lies northwest of Mahé in the Seychelles. It is the third largest granitic island in the Seychelles. It has an area of 20.1 km2 and has a population of 200, mostly workers on the island. The main settlement is La Passe ...

where there is a special arrangement with a medical company, the hotel on that island and the company managing that island, to provide doctors to the island. A large number of these doctors have been registered by the Seychelles Medical and Dental Council.

Training of doctors and dentists

Seychelles now has a new university, called the

University of Seychelles University of Seychelles, informally also called UniSey, is the primary institution of higher education in Seychelles. It was established on 17 September 2009. There are three campuses: the main campus at Anse Royale, the Mont Fleuri campus offe ...

. However, that university does not have a medical school. Seychellois doctors and dentists continue to be trained overseas in almost every corner of the World. Over the past thirty years, local doctors and dentists in Seychelles have been trained in

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Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

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Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

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and other countries.

References

{{Reflist

External links

* http://www.seylii.org/sc/legislation/consolidated-act/126 * http://article.wn.com/view/2013/11/25/New_Chairman_of_Seychelles_Medical_and_Dental_Council_Electe/) * https://smdcboard.wordpress.com * http://www.seychelles.net/seynat/archives/40201202.html * http://www.nation.sc/article.html?task=pdf&id=239917 Medical and health organisations based in the Seychelles

The medical and dental professions in Seychelles

Training of doctors and dentists

See also

References

External links