As we enter the last days of 2022, it is worthwhile to reflect on some of the events impacting on the health sector in the year that was. It was an eventful year with both the good and bad. Those who have read my posts during 2022 may feel that I concentrate too frequently on the negative and rarely focus on the positive. That may be true but I only reflect the world around me as I see it. I accept that there are amongst us many good people doing great things who are rarely acknowledged and I also accept that maybe I have failed to focus enough on them.…
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What lessons were learned from the COVID-19 pandemic?
I often read, and at times hear, that many lessons were learned during the COVID-19 pandemic. It has been said by some that these can be used to determine the future direction of health care. I have been reflecting on whether there were lessons to be learned and, if so, to what extent they provide insights into the future of healthcare in South Africa. From the position now as an outsider to the mainstream of healthcare policy and management I am aware that the efforts of many in the health sector across the globe went far beyond what was normally in their job descriptions. Health professionals faced with the uncertainties…
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Does quality healthcare depend on money alone?
Recently I met with the management of a health department as part of my work in the healthcare field. I arrived early at the venue located in a large hospital and as the meeting also commenced later than scheduled, I had time to walk around the hospital. I encountered various staff members and patients and was cordially greeted although none asked whether they could assist me or what I was doing in the hospital. What was striking was the dilapidated state of many areas of the facility. Paint peeled from the walls and there were signs of water damage to the ceilings in various places. A pane of glass was…
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National Health Insurance … noble in intent but is it a bridge too far?
In the summer of 1944 during the Second World War the Allies launched an airborne operation, named Market Garden, aimed at securing a crossing over the Rhine River and thus an advance into the heart of Northern Germany. The aim of the operation was to seize key bridges with airborne troops allowing ground troops to advance over 100 kilometres to the Dutch town of Arnhem and by so doing outflank the German frontier defences. The plan which was backed by the British General Montgomery and Prime Minister Churchill despite concerns expressed by others in the Allied High Command lead by General Eisenhower. The operation despite the heroic efforts of allied…
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Hallelujah! … a reflection on ageing, idealism and health
My love of the music of Leonard Cohen, a music muse of my earlier years, was reawakened after watching the 2022 movie Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song. Leonard Cohen is best known for his 1984 song, Hallelujah, that has had a renaissance among many artists during the last two decades. As a write this, I have Cohen’s silky and evocative voice playing in the background. Leonard Cohen struggled for periods of his life with depression but described his last years as having had a weight lifted off his shoulders that lead to renewed artistic creativity and a successful return to performing in the decade before his death at 79.…