CAPITAL: The Voice of Business Issue 2, 2016 | Page 18

Hospitals in the uMgungundlovu region have expanded and many have added state-of-the-art technology , such as this Novalis Tx™ Stereotactic RadioSurgery ( SRS ) unit for treating cancer , at Life Hilton Private Hospital . This is creating a centre of excellence in the region that can become an example for the rest of the country .
The next phase : an example for the rest of the country
Ensuring that hospitals get the beds they desperately need is , however , only one part of the problem . Doing something about increasing the medical skills shortage is equally vital . This is not just a local problem , but a growing one nationally , as highlighted in the Midi report , which says that it is imperative to counter “ a looming crisis in the growing shortage of new specialists and the reliance on an ageing cadre of existing specialists ”. The University of KwaZulu-Natal ( UKZN ) and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health believe that the general medical skills shortage is an important issue that warrants attention . They recently hosted an indaba to discuss the roll-out of a pilot project on the Decentralised Clinical Training Platform ( DCTP ) in the province . The programme is centered around a primary healthcare curriculum in line with the National Health Insurance programme . A component of the DCTP is to steadily increase student intake numbers in the College of Health Sciences at UKZN in order to increase the number of healthcare professionals in the province . “ South Africa has a serious shortage of health professionals ,” says Natasha Lowe , Senior Development Officer at UKZN . “ There are not enough training sites , so the numbers we can train annually are limited . The University of KwaZulu-Natal ’ s College of Health Sciences has responded to this problem with a partnership with the Department of Health , which proposes to double its capacity to train healthcare professionals .” This partnership also entails a proposed change in the curriculum to focus on primary healthcare and prevention , and to expand
services to the wider communities in previously disadvantaged regions of KwaZulu-Natal . This new primary healthcare curriculum requires a longer clinical immersion experience , and will be achieved by offering training that combines time spent in central urban hospitals , such as Grey ’ s in Pietermaritzburg , with decentralised clinical training . At the indaba , MEC for Health in KZN , Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo , expressed appreciation at the progress already made . “ We want to acknowledge UKZN for initiating this platform and for being the first of its kind in the country . It was presented at parliament and applauded by all . We are proud of the DCTP , which we hope will be rolled out nationally .” The PCB ’ s Veness says that findings in the Midi report have led the UBDF to envisage a way in which the expansion of private medical facilities in the UMDM can assist in this UKZN / KZN Department of Health vision . “ There is undoubtedly a skills shortage in the medical sector ,” says Veness , “ and we clearly are not training sufficient numbers to meet these needs , which is particularly sad if one considers the current unemployment rate and the number of students being turned down when they apply to study medicine . Our young people who are determined to become doctors are being forced to study medicine elsewhere in the world and we are losing that intellectual capital and those skills ”. “ We need to up the number of doctors , professionals and nurses being trained for both the private and public sectors . Pietermaritzburg is perfectly placed for a medical school and nurses training college . Partnership is critical between the public and private sectors in order to realise this potential . In my opinion , we should be the centre of medical excellence for Africa . It sits very well with who we are .”
“ We here in the Pietermaritzburg and KZN Midlands region have an opportunity to provide a model for the country on how the public and private sectors can work together ,” concludes Veness .
Medical Tourism Potential
The growth of the private healthcare sector in the Pietermaritzburg and the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands area has the added benefit of being able to attract medical tourism business , says Melanie Veness , CEO of the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business ( PCB ).
“ The restorative nature of the Midlands landscape is well suited to the kind of medical procedures that require a period of rest and relaxation ,” she says . “ It is also an attractive option for patients seeking world-class specialist care while taking advantage of a favourable exchange rate .”
Veness says that interest in this aspect of healthcare has been voiced by delegations from other countries and added that a TIKZN ( Trade and Investment KwaZulu-Natal ) commissioned study will soon be carried out to look at how the Pietermaritzburg / KZN Midlands area can leverage its overall competitive advantage in the healthcare sector .
16 | Issue 2 | Capital