Early life,education and career
Patrick Herminie was born on 22 September 1963 at Baie St. Anne Praslin Hospital,on Seychelles' second-largest island. He was the fourth of five children in a family where his mother,Christa Herminie (née Jules),was a housewife,and his father,Louis Herminie,worked as a policeman. [1]
A few years after Patrick was born,his parents,who had been living on Praslin due to his father's work posting,moved back to Mahé,the mainland of Seychelles. There,they settled and raised their five children. During this time,Patrick's father continued working as a policeman,while his mother,a former seamstress,stayed at home to care for the family. [5]
As a young boy,Herminie attended Seychelles College,an all-boys' school established in 1947. At the time,Seychelles College,along with Regina Mundi Convent for girls,was regarded as a cornerstone of modern education in Seychelles. Both schools were closed in the early 1980s when the government introduced free and compulsory education,requiring children to attend schools within their respective districts. [1]
While at Seychelles College,Herminie served as the captain of the Schalke 04 youth football team,leading them in various competitions. [6]
After completing his O Levels and A Levels at Seychelles College,Herminie pursued a Doctorate in General Medicine at Charles University in Prague,Czechoslovakia,graduating in 1990.
Upon returning to Seychelles in 1991,he met Veronique Sinon,whom he later married. The couple has two children:Venessa Herminie,currently a medical doctor,and Martin Herminie,a civil engineer. [1]
After earning his Doctorate in General Medicine,Herminie was appointed as a Medical Officer at Victoria Hospital in 1990. He was promoted to Senior Medical Officer in 1992 and became the Director of the Environmental Health Section at the Ministry of Health in 1995. That same year,he received the Chevening Award from the British government and completed a Master's degree in Public Health at the Nuffield Institute,University of Leeds,in England.
After returning to Seychelles,Herminie was appointed Director General of Disease Prevention and Control in the Ministry of Health in 1996. Committed to continually enhancing his knowledge and skill set,Herminie made it a priority to invest in further education. In 1997,he attended a Training of Trainers (Epidemic Control) course organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in Addis Ababa,Ethiopia. The following year,in 1998,he was appointed Director General of the Division of Primary Health Care in the Ministry of Health. [5]
From 2000 to 2003,Herminie served as the Director General of Primary Health Care at the Ministry of Health.
In 2004,Herminie decided to pursue a career as a full-time politician (see political career). However,he had to temporarily step back in 2016 when his party lost the legislative election. By that time,Herminie had served as the Speaker of the National Assembly.
From 2016 to 2020,Herminie served as Secretary of State for the Prevention of Drug Abuse and Rehabilitation. By then,Seychelles was facing an unprecedented epidemic of heroin addiction. In response,Herminie established an agency to tackle the issue directly. [1]
