Dr. Marie-France Vel Laporte

Dr. Marie-France Vel Laporte is a consultant emergency medicine physician at Seychelles Hospital (Victoria Hospital) in Victoria, the Seychelles' national hospital. With 14 years of specialist experience and MRCEM qualifications, she specialises in trauma care, acute medicine, and mass casualty management. The Seychelles' prominent role as an international tourism destination means emergency care for visiting patients is central to the island's healthcare mission. Dr. Vel Laporte's MRCEM credential from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (UK) and her ATLS certification reflect internationally assessed emergency medicine competence, ensuring that international visitors receive high-quality emergency care during their stay.

Dr. Vel Laporte completed her MBBS at a recognised medical university and subsequently achieved the MRCEM (Member of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, UK) — a demanding examination-based credential reflecting competence in emergency medicine assessed to British standards. She completed ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support) certification through the American College of Surgeons programme, providing systematic trauma assessment and management skills. Her emergency medicine training encompassed resuscitation, airway management, procedural skills, paediatric emergency care, and toxicological emergency management. She participates in RCEM and European Society for Emergency Medicine (EUSEM) CME to maintain current practice.

Dr. Vel Laporte manages the full breadth of emergency medical presentations at Seychelles Hospital. Her trauma expertise covers primary and secondary trauma assessment using ATLS principles, haemorrhage control, airway management including RSI (rapid sequence induction), decompression of tension pneumothorax, and coordination of trauma team response for major injuries. Her acute medicine practice covers management of acute chest pain (including STEMI thrombolysis when PCI is unavailable), stroke recognition and thrombolysis initiation, acute respiratory failure, sepsis resuscitation, and diabetic emergencies. Her mass casualty management expertise — particularly relevant for a tourist island — covers triage, surge capacity activation, and multi-agency coordination for major incidents.

Seychelles Hospital is the main healthcare facility for residents and the several hundred thousand tourists who visit the Seychelles annually. Dr. Vel Laporte has extensive experience managing emergency presentations in international visitors — from water sports injuries and dive accidents to acute medical conditions in tourists of all nationalities. She consults in English, French, and Seychellois Creole. The hospital provides emergency care documentation in English and French for insurance and repatriation purposes. For cases requiring tertiary intensive care, neurosurgery, or complex surgical intervention, the hospital maintains air evacuation pathways to South Africa and Reunion Island.

Dr. Vel Laporte has been recognised by the Seychelles Ministry of Health for her leadership of emergency services and her contribution to improving emergency medicine standards at Victoria Hospital. Her MRCEM from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (UK) reflects internationally assessed emergency medicine competence. Her ATLS certification from the American College of Surgeons recognises her systematic trauma management skills. She has been commended for developing the mass casualty management plan for Seychelles Hospital and for her role in emergency medicine education and training for nursing and junior medical staff.