Sustainable development and pharmaceutical security are critical for equitable health outcomes in Africa. In Mauritius, this intersection is particularly significant for gynaecological and obstetric care, where access to essential medicines directly affects maternal and reproductive health. This policy analysis critically examines Mauritius's national policies on sustainable development and pharmaceutical security from a gynaecological and obstetric perspective. It aims to assess policy coherence, identify gaps, and evaluate their potential impact on women's healthcare provision. The study employs a qualitative document analysis of relevant national policy frameworks, strategic plans, and legislative documents. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify key themes, contradictions, and synergies between sustainable development goals and pharmaceutical security objectives specific to women's health. The analysis identified a significant policy gap concerning the sustainable procurement and local production of essential gynaecological and obstetric medicines. A central finding was an over-reliance on imported pharmaceuticals, constituting a key vulnerability. Furthermore, environmental sustainability considerations were largely absent from medicine procurement strategies within this clinical field. Current Mauritian policy frameworks demonstrate insufficient integration between sustainable development principles and pharmaceutical security for gynaecological and obstetric care. This disconnect threatens the long-term resilience and equity of women's health services on the island. Policymakers should develop an integrated national strategy for sustainable pharmaceutical procurement in women's health. This includes incentivising local production of essential medicines, incorporating environmental criteria into tender processes, and establishing a dedicated monitoring framework for obstetric and gynaecological drug security. Policy analysis, pharmaceutical security, sustainable development, maternal health, Mauritius, gynaecology, obstetric medicine This analysis provides a focused critique of how sustainable development and pharmaceutical security policies intersect within the Mauritian context, offering specific insights for strengthening women's healthcare.
Ramphul et al. (Fri,) studied this question.