Training, skills and making difference

Posted on 29 September 2016

Mediclinic has a history of collaborating with government to help clear surgical procedure backlogs as well as assisting with community initiatives. Mediclinic Transformation Executive Dr Mvula Yoyo says three years ago when it was approached, the group agreed to participate in the Public Health Enhancement Fund (PHEF) and has been contributing roughly R11 million per year. This fund meant an adjustment to which surgical and community programmes Mediclinic was able to get involved in, where the available budget could be best spent.

Apart from surgical procedure backlogs there is also a dearth of specialists being trained and while it is crucial that the groundwork is laid in terms of training doctors, there is also a critical need to cultivate and develop managers who have the skill sets to run South Africa’s public sector healthcare facilities to the benefit of the greatest number of its citizens. The PHEF was intended to address some of these needs.

Dr Yoyo says, ‘Doctors understand the hospital environment and what they need in order to do their jobs well, but managing a large budget and making sure the organisation overall runs smoothly needs a different type of focus. Coordinating departments, putting teams together, dealing with those in charge of specialised units – there’s a range of skills required. So we see value in what the PHEF is doing and are in favour of it. This year, Mediclinic is contributing to the assistance being received by 74 students completing their fourth year of study.’

Three tiers

The Mediclinic CSI strategy has always had a multi-tiered approach with tier 1 catering for public sector assistance, tier 2 working with NGO or PBOs and tier 3 is volunteerism from our staff. We continue to work within these three tiers,
but have to ensure that the investments made extract the best value.

Projects touching lives

Over the years we have seen the value of building relationships and focusing on the long-term changes we are able to make in community members’ lives. There are a few examples of projects Mediclinic has chosen to support over the long term, ensuring that improvements are sustainable and that investments have the greatest possible impact.

Over the last 10 years, Mediclinic has supported approximately 70 medical students from the University of Stellenbosch who travel to Kwa-Zulu Natal on outreach each year. Students undertake daily visits to the outlying villages offering medical and dental services. To support this outreach and to ensure that the necessary infrastructure is in place, Mediclinic has repaired a borehole to guarantee continuous water supply as well as developing some of the community buildings used during these outreaches. Community members are now able to use the facilities to generate an income through craftwork. Mediclinic has also been responsible for supplying the medications issued during these outreaches after building a good understanding of the medical profile of the residents.

Another example of the long-term improvements being made in a community is in Khayelitsha at the Chris Hani Arts and Culture High School. The community is constantly being challenged by scenes of violence and crime and this is having a negative effect on the students. Through a joint project with ER24, the students are now able to meet with a counsellor on school property and receive the relevant counselling on a regular basis. Infrastructure has been upgraded to facilitate this and other programmes encouraging students to participate in additional cultural and academic activities are being promoted through relationships with brands such as Media24. By focusing our efforts on key projects we believe we can contribute to sustainable and valuable changes in these communities.

Volunteerism

Many South African companies and individuals mark Mandela Day on 18 July every year by donating 67 minutes of their time. Mediclinic does this all year round.

Every Mediclinic staff member is encouraged to take a day of leave annually that is specifically for volunteer work. ‘We coordinate it through committees at each hospital that go out and identify what needs doing and where. For example, one of the first projects we did was to renovate and furnish a trauma center in Kayamandi township outside Stellenbosch and this was implemented mostly by members of the executive committee,’ says Dr Yoyo.

Strategic review

The Mediclinic decision to support the PHEF was taken at executive level. The initial agreement was for three years of funding, followed by a strategic review, which is the stage at which the process has now arrived.

Dr Yoyo concludes, ‘We believe in the value of the PHEF. We continue to support its aims and we want those individuals that are currently studying to complete their training.’