Good move on University Hospital
Mmegi Editor | Tuesday August 23, 2016 11:25
It will provide practical, real-time training for students in specialised health services, while simultaneously doubling as a referral facility open to the public for world-class services.
Government, through the Health Ministry, is due to invest at least P1.3 billion in the hospital’s development, literally killing several birds with one stone, from employment of builders and non-academic staff, to broadening specialised health access to training future doctors, nurses and other medical staff for Botswana. Last May, the Public Accounts Committee pleaded with government to make the hospital independent of the politics and bureaucracy inherent in the ministry, in order to allow it to live up to its mandate. Bonnington South Member of Parliament (MP), Ndaba Gaolathe said experts had to be allowed to “run the show” without the interference of politicians and bureaucrats. It is commendable that these pleas have been heard and government has formed a company, which will oversee the hospital. Government’s interests in the hospital will be managed by its presence on the board and its position as being the company’s sole shareholder.
This model allows the hospital to be dynamic and responsive, untethered by politics and bureaucracy and thus, better able to meet its chief mandate of training medical students and affording high quality healthcare to Batswana. Under this model, the hospital is better able to fight for its organisational survival, including strategising around its growth and better delivery of its mandate. This organisational survival and growth could involve negotiating partnerships with other health institutions locally and abroad, partnerships with financiers and other strategic decisions that have the time and cost sensitivities, often unrecognised by mainstream government. It is a model we would suggest government to seriously consider adopting for several other entities in the public service that are evidently struggling to either sustain themselves, grow or deliver on their mandates. The first that come to mind are the departments of Information Services, Broadcasting Services and Government Printing and Publishing Services, where creativity and growth have suffered from the politics and bureaucracy the University Hospital has luckily escaped. There is an argument that entities of strategic national interest cannot be packaged under the Companies Act and should, in fact, be in the Office of the President. However, this argument falls away as there is no greater strategic interest than health, particularly when this is compared to information. It is therefore clear that the aforementioned departments’ presence in the Office of the President is precisely for political reasons, which denies them the latitude for responsiveness, dynamism and independence, as well as the associated responsibility for survival that comes under the Companies Act.
We can only hope greater strategic thought is paid to unbundling these particular departments and many others from the yoke of political (ill)-intent.
Today’s thought
“If you want the best value out of it keep away the politicians and bureaucrats.”
– Ndaba Gaolathe