Tshabalala-Msimang at the Biennial Public Hospital Management Conference,
Birchwood Conference Centre, Boksburg
29 November 2007
Programme director
Mayor of Ekurhuleni
Hospital Managers, Health Professionals
Academics, distinguished guests
Ladies and gentlemen
Good day
It gives me great pleasure and honour to officiate the opening of this
distinguished gathering of health professionals and academics, to mark the very
important conference on the calendar of hospital managers in the country.
The objective of the Biennial Public Hospital Management Conference is to
provide a regular platform, where hospital management teams, academics, civil
society, business and our international friends can share best practices and
experiences on hospital management, to improve the public sector hospital
management.
The specific objective of this year's conference is two fold:
* Firstly is to evaluate the progress on the training of hospital management
teams and this is done with the view of also receiving inputs for the
development of a junior and middle managers training curriculum.
* The second objective is to acknowledge the contribution of the French Embassy
as the bilateral agreement between the National Department of Health and the
Republic of France is due to close at the end of December 2007. The theme for
this year's conference is "Evidence Based Strategic Planning, Enhancing Public
Hospital Management". The theme portrays the expected outcomes of future
trained hospital managers who will be well versed in problem solving using
scientific methods that are the core of the programme.
A number of critical issues are envisaged to form the basis of discussions
during the conference amongst which the following will be addressed:
* inputs from the national and provincial Department of Health, the European
Union and French Government and Universities
* case studies and best practice models in health care delivery focusing on
evidence based strategic planning, results based management, hospital
financing, information management and decision-making
* significant are revitalisation and modernisation of hospitals, strategic
communication and leadership
* current activities of the Department of Health in supporting hospital
managers and practical application of management tools with active
participation by the delegates through feedback and breakaway sessions.
The conference is part of the response by the department to the President's
State of the Nation address of 2006 that committed this government to
increasing resource allocation for research and development, innovation, and
increasing the pool of young researchers.
Our research projects focus on hospital-based problems such as infection
control, queue management, adverse events management, healthcare technology and
healthcare financing, amongst others. It was in 10 November 2005 that the first
workshop was held by the Department of Health at the Royal Hotel, Durban, to
promote the masters' level programme in hospital management that would be
offered by the two Universities of KwaZulu-Natal and Witwatersrand. It was
agreed that the course content should address the South African hospital needs,
and best practices in health systems management.
The Department of Health consulted extensively with the South African
stakeholders to customise the programme to South African needs, while
benchmarking on the hospital management masters programme currently run by the
School of Public Health in France (Ecole Nacionale de la Sante Publique).
The Masters in Hospital Management course commenced in February 2006, which
means that the first cohort of students have completed two years of academic
theoretical and practical training as hospital managers. The first group will
begin the third and final year doing the electives and research, which is a
necessary prerequisite for a master's programme as laid down by each of the two
universities.
This first group has benefited from an agreement between the Republic of
South Africa and France, signed on 3 December 2003. The total grant for this
training project is (â¬610 000) for a period of 36 months.
Ladies and gentlemen, this period although extended by one year reaches its
conclusion on the 31 December 2007. I am pleased however, that issues of
sustainability were upheld throughout the development and planning of this
course and wish to assure you that the programme will continue beyond December
2007.
Let me take this opportunity to thank the French government for extending
its hand through funding of the programme and assignment of a full time
Technical Officer, Mr Stephanie Arkhipoff from 2004 until now.
I am informed, ladies and gentlemen, that during the first year of training,
candidates are expected to develop workplace-based case studies, and that the
quality and calibre of some of the projects was of such high standard that
given an opportunity for implementation, they could assist in solving the many
day-to-day challenges of running a hospital or health service.
However, the preparation of seasoned hospital managers ladies and gentlemen,
is no mean task. Given the many incidents that have occurred recently in some
of our institutions, it would be an omission not to highlight but a few. It is
unfortunate that the mass media is always on the lookout for weaknesses in
hospital management rather than highlighting the sterling work that is done by
our hospital managers sometimes under very difficult circumstances.
The recent protracted industrial action by public servants which compromised
the management and care of patients in hospitals is one of the major events
this year. I salute those hospital managers who went out of their way to ensure
continuity of care at the time. Of particular mention on rather a sad note, is
the untimely death of a hospital Chief Executive Officer, and three managers of
Seshego Hospital in Limpopo. There were also unfortunate incidents of violent
attacks on workers and patients here in Gauteng.
Crime is a social challenge which requires an integrated community response
in our health facilities. There is no single way in which a hospital manager
can be prepared to avert such incidents. However, the fact that we are now
training our hospital managers is an indication of our attempts to prepare them
sufficiently to anticipate and engage in risk management activities that can
avert some of the tragedies.
I sincerely hope that the training of masters in hospital management and
discussions to be conducted here at this conference will better assist
hospitals such as Mshiyeni Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, which has been hit by the
outbreak of Klebsiella, to strengthen their infection control systems.
Programme director, neonatal deaths are an area of serious concern of many
health care systems in the world, even in the developed world. The magnitude of
the problem is underlined by the World Health Organisation's report of 1989.
The report states that four million neonates die each year in the world, 96
percent of which are in low-income countries. It is therefore important that
the neonatal deaths (five deaths), which occurred recently at Mshiyeni
Hospital, be viewed in this context.
Ladies and gentlemen, let me express my sincere gratitude to you for holding
such a significant conference and I wish you successful deliberations. I hope
the resolutions and action plans that result from this conference will find a
place in each and every health service that is represented here today.
I now declare this conference officially opened.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Health
29 November 2007
Source: Department of Health (http://www.doh.gov.za)
