Game plan for health authorities

FIRST, I must congratulate the Gauteng premier for tackling the hospital and clinical crisis in our health facilities.

It is a good start to appoint a focused group of professionals to tackle the problem.

However, I would like to add that his team has to be strengthened with professionals from other disciplines with experience in infrastructure delivery and management.

The problems in our hospitals are not one-dimensional; they are clinical and infrastructural.

Health system problems must be tackled by addressing, jointly, clinical and infrastructure deficiencies.

I will share the fundamental factors that were critical in the successful delivery of 2010 World Cup and what lessons were learnt.

For this project, I was responsible for the design, roll-out and operation of all the technical infrastructure, including power, IT systems, power and telecommunication systems.

The management team responsible for the delivery of the 2010 World Cup had the following disciplines: Transport & logistics, IT, power and telecoms, safety & security, finance, marketing, communications and competitions.

Replace “competitions” with “clinical”, and aren’t all these disciplines required to run a hospital?

Competitions defined the rules of the game and what infrastructure would support players, officials and spectators.

Note, their specialty is the game, but defining what infrastructure they require to deliver to their customers is their responsibility.

What are the lessons learnt? Hire people who are competent and qualified to do the job, build multidisciplinary teams.

Let us bring this example back to health. Clinicians (doctors) must define the infrastructure they require. Health authorities must then deliver the infrastructure by appointing competent people who will deliver and manage infrastructure.

Why is our health system left to only clinicians to fix; why don’t we change our approach? Do you want a doctor who has scheduled an operation to worry about power failure or that he/she must be comfortable that there is a back-up plan that is secure and managed by a competent team?

For the 2010 World Cup, my team ensured there was secure back-up for each game. The soccer people knew nothing about power; we had to give them the assurance that the games would go on.

For a start, there is a lot that can be learnt from how private sector health facilities are managed and operated. Let’s implement those practices that are relevant to public sector health facilities, and let’s not be shy to ask the private sector to help with secondment of skilled people.

We will be surprised how willing they are to assist.

I call on all those who have an interest in this matter to raise their views. Collectively, as South Africans, we have the capability to resolve this matter once and for all. Phumlani Moholi Kyalami based engineer who worked as a chief technical officer at the 2010 Fifa World Cup Organising Committee of South Africa

The problems in our hospitals are not onedimensional