Reimbursed Care Access in Mauritius
Mauritius maintains stringent controls on classical psychedelic compounds: most serotonergic psychedelics (psilocybin/psilocin, DMT, mescaline, MDMA, 5‑MeO‑DMT, 2C‑X, etc.) are listed in the national Dangerous Drugs Act schedules and are prohibited outside very narrow authorised medical, forensic or research exceptions. Ketamine is controlled but remains an authorised medicinal anaesthetic subject to strict regulatory controls and prescription limits; newer commercial esketamine (Spravato) does not appear on public registration lists and is not a reimbursed option in routine care. Overall there is no established reimbursed psychedelic therapy pathway in public insurance and access is limited to regulated medical use (ketamine anaesthesia), tightly supervised authorised research, or exceptional authorised imports by the Permanent Secretary/Pharmacy Board. [https://mauritiuslii.org/akn/mu/act/2000/41/eng%402017-06-30|Dangerous Drugs Act (Mauritius)], [https://nds.govmu.org/nds/|National Drug Secretariat (Mauritius)].
Psilocybin
Currently classified as a strictly controlled substance under the national Dangerous Drugs Act First Schedule, with no authorised medical use outside of explicitly authorised medical or scientific research (authorisation must be granted by the Permanent Secretary). Possession, manufacture, importation, supply and distribution are prohibited except under narrow research/forensic authorisations provided for in the Act. #.
MDMA
Currently classified as a strictly controlled substance under the national Dangerous Drugs Act First Schedule, with no authorised medical use outside of approved clinical research. All activities (possession, manufacture, import/export, supply) are prohibited unless expressly authorised for medical or research purposes by the Permanent Secretary under the Act. #.
Esketamine
There is no public evidence of marketing authorisation or public reimbursement for esketamine (Spravato) in Mauritius, and no established national reimbursement pathway for esketamine-based depression care in the public system. Newer branded esketamine products require national regulatory registration and local Pharmacy Board/Ministry of Health approval before importation or routine clinical use; the Dangerous Drugs Act sets the framework for authorisation of controlled drugs for medical or research use, but public registration of Spravato in Mauritius is not indicated on official listings at the time of this report. Therefore esketamine is not a routinely reimbursed treatment in Mauritius and would only be accessible through authorised import/clinical research or private means if permitted by regulators. #, #.
Ketamine
Ketamine is a controlled dangerous drug under Mauritius law but is recognised for legitimate medical use (notably as an anaesthetic) and therefore may be lawfully prescribed and supplied where authorised by the Dangerous Drugs Act and related pharmacy regulations. The Act establishes schedules and special prescription/dispensing controls for dangerous drugs and allows the Permanent Secretary to authorise cultivation, manufacture, importation, use or holding of scheduled substances strictly for medical or scientific purposes; prescriptions and supply of scheduled drugs are subject to specific documentation, limited duration rules and pharmacy oversight. #.
In practice, the Pharmacy Board and national authorities exercise active oversight of ketamine imports and distribution. Recent reporting and regulatory action indicate heightened scrutiny because of diversion and illegal trafficking concerns — for example, the Pharmacy Board reportedly refused an import authorisation amid allegations of ketamine diversion and the Dangerous Drugs Act classifies ketamine within scheduled controls requiring restricted import/dispensing. This means ketamine remains available in clinical practice (primarily anaesthesia, emergency medicine) when prescribed and dispensed via authorised health‑care channels, but off‑label psychiatric or reimbursed psychedelic‑therapy uses are not established within national public reimbursement frameworks and would be subject to regulatory approval and stringent oversight. #, #.
DMT
Currently classified as a strictly controlled substance under the national Dangerous Drugs Act First Schedule, with no authorised medical use outside of approved scientific or forensic research. All non‑authorised possession, importation, manufacture, supply or distribution is prohibited. #.
5-MeO-DMT
Currently classified as a strictly controlled substance under national drug scheduling (listed generically among tryptamine family entries in the Dangerous Drugs Act schedules) with no authorised medical use outside of approved clinical or scientific research. Possession and supply are prohibited except under a direct authorisation for research from the Permanent Secretary. #.
Ibogaine
Currently classified as a strictly controlled substance under national drug scheduling laws, with no authorized medical use outside of approved clinical research. #.
Ayahuasca
Currently classified as a strictly controlled substance under national drug scheduling laws, with no authorized medical use outside of approved clinical research. (Note: ayahuasca preparations contain DMT and associated tryptamines which are scheduled under the Dangerous Drugs Act.) #.
Mescaline
Currently classified as a strictly controlled substance under the national Dangerous Drugs Act First Schedule, with no authorised medical use outside of approved research. Any possession, manufacture, import/export or supply is prohibited unless specifically authorised under the Act for medical or scientific purposes. #.
2C-X
Compounds in the 2C family (phenethylamine psychedelics) are encompassed by the Dangerous Drugs Act scheduling (the Act lists many substituted phenethylamines and provides catch‑all controls for derivatives), and are therefore strictly controlled with no authorised medical use outside properly authorised research. Possession and supply are prohibited except under narrow research authorisations. #.