Browsing by Subject "Public sector"
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- ItemOpen AccessProject Manager's Behavioral Competencies Required to Successfully Deliver Projects Using a Weak Matrix Structure(2025) Chabalala, Shidumo; Massyn, MarkOver the past several years, the South African government through its public sector entities has struggled to operationalize their strategic objectives due to a multitude of project failures. Seeing as it is commonly acknowledged that there is a strong link between Project Manager's competency level and project success, it is thus imperative to understand the competencies that a Project Manager must possess in order to successfully deliver projects in the South African public sector with the ultimate aim of increasing the probability of project success and thus aid the government in delivering its strategic objectives. Also, it is acknowledged that project management behavioural competencies have become more important to project success when compared to technical competencies. This study aims to explore what are the behavioural competencies that are essential for a Project Manager to successfully deliver projects in the South African public Sector. To answer the research question, a survey and personal interviews were conducted where project management practitioners in the South African Public Sector participated. It was hypothesized that Leadership was the essential behavioural competency that is essential to successfully deliver projects in the South African Public Sector. However, the study found that there are seventeen (17) essential behavioural competencies for a Project Manager to successfully deliver projects. The research concluded that there is no single behavioural competency, but rather established five (5) Foundational Behavioural Competencies (i.e., Communication, Teamwork, Professionalism, Leadership, Emotional intelligence), five (5) Core Behavioural Competencies (Adaptability & agility, Conflict & crisis management, Engagement & motivation, Inter-personal skills, and Results orientation), and seven (7) Supporting Behavioural Competencies (i.e., Negotiation, Consultation, Empathy, Organized, Managing, Reliability, Efficiency & effectiveness). The study also concluded that these behavioural competencies are applicable irrespective of the industry and project management structure employed to undertake a project. Additionally, the study showed that the perspective of project success in the South African Public Sector has evolved to be more holistic in line with the rest of the Western countries where the definition of success has broadened beyond the bounds of a project and considers how a project is viewed by stakeholders. South African Public Sector entities can improve the probability of project success by recruiting Project Managers who possess these competencies and can train their existing project Managers to develop these competencies.
- ItemOpen AccessRapid scale-up of A community-based HIV treatment service: Programme performance over 3 consecutive years in Guguletu, South Africa(2006) Bekker, Linda-Gail; Myer, Landon; Orrell, Catherine; Lawn, Steve; Wood, RobinBackground. Despite rapid expansion of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in sub-Saharan Africa there are few longitudinal data describing programme performance during rapid scale-up. Methods. We compared mortality, viral suppression and programme retention in 3 consecutive years of a public sector community-based ART clinic in a South African township. Data were collected prospectively from establishment of services in October 2002 to the censoring date in September 2005. Viral load and CD4 counts were monitored at 4-monthly intervals. Community-based counsellors provided adherence and programme support. Results. During the study period 1 139 ART-naïve patients received ART (161, 280 and 698 in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd years respectively). The median CD4 cell counts were 84 cells/μl (interquartile range (IQR) 42 - 139), 89 cells/μl (IQR 490 - 149), and 110 cells/μl (IQR 55 - 172), and the proportions of patients with World Health Organization (WHO) clinical stages 3 and 4 were 90%, 79% and 76% in each sequential year respectively. The number of counsellors increased from 6 to 28 and the median number of clients allocated to each counsellor increased from 13 to 33. The overall loss to follow-up was 2.9%. At the date of censoring, the Kaplan-Meier estimates of the proportion of patients still on the programme were 82%, 86% and 91%, and the proportion who were virally suppressed (< 400 copies/ml) were 100%, 92% and 98% for the 2002, 2003 and 2004 cohorts respectively. Conclusions. While further operational research is required into optimal models of care in different populations across sub-Saharan Africa, these results demonstrate that a single community-based public sector ART clinic can extend care to over 1 000 patients in an urban setting without compromising programme performance.
- ItemOpen AccessStaff knowledge, attitudes and practices in public sector primary care of diabetes in Cape Town(1997)OBJECTIVE: To audit staff knowledge, attitudes and practices in the interest of improved public sector primary care for diabetics. DESIGN: External audit using face-to-face, private, questionnaire-based interviews. SETTING: Twelve public sector ambulatory health centres in Cape Town. SUBJECTS: Non-specialist, principal staff members (N = 35)-12 doctors, 10 primary health care nurses (PHCNs), 7 registered nurses (RNs) and 6 staff nurses (SNs). RESULTS: Staff members were long-standing employees (mean-doctors 6 years, PHCNs 8 years, RNs 5 years, SNs 12 years). Few had post-basic training (doctors 25%, PHCNs 20%, RNs 26%, SNs 83%). Knowledge of chronic diabetic complications was adequate, e.g. diabetic eye disease was mentioned by 100% of staff. There were gaps in knowledge of pathophysiology and of signs and symptoms of diabetic emergencies, e.g. < 33% knew control of hypertension to be important in the prevention of diabetic nephropathy. Knowledge of appropriate care of patients with hypoglycaemia (94% mentioned glucose administration) was better than that of hyperglycaemia (69% mentioned intravenous fluids). Problems were reported in inter-staff communication within (approximately 50%) and between (approximately 75%) disciplines by doctors, PHCNs and RNs. Staff/patient communication problems were reported by approximately 75% of staff. Solutions suggested by staff included meetings between staff members and with management, in-service training programmes and appointment systems for patients. Despite logistic, organisational and communication-related problems, most staff enjoy and believe in the value of their work. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals deficiencies in in-service training with consequent gaps in knowledge and practice. Recommendations that would lead to improved quality of care and increased staff and patient satisfaction have been given.
- ItemOpen AccessThe draft charter of the private and public health sectors of the Republic of South Africa: Health for all, or profits for few?(2005) Reynolds, Louis; London, Leslie; Sanders, DavidThe central aim of the Department of Health’s recently released Draft Charter of the Public and Private Health Sectors (CPPHS) is to address the legacy of apartheid regarding access to health care for all South Africans. It commits the public and private sectors to create ‘a health care system that is coherent, cost effective and quality driven … for the benefit of the entire population’ and to work together ‘to improve the scope, accessibility and quality of care at all levels’. These are laudable goals and we express our wholehearted support for them. The CPPHS specifies four ‘key areas’ of transformation: access to health services, equity in health services, quality of health services, and black economic empowerment (BEE). Among these the first three – access to, equity in, and quality of health care services - are essential (though not sufficient) to meeting the goal of health for all in South Africa. The fourth, however, is problematic.