Postgraduate Diploma in Health Management

Purpose

• The qualification aims to improve the effectiveness of public health managers through improving their practical, technical and conceptual skills to manage the transformation of the health sector. This includes developing the capacity to manage public health, people, resources, and finance to implement policy, manage change and ensure quality;

And

• To introduce an action learning approach where the learners will develop lifelong learning skills.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

The institution conducts RPL in terms of the policy and guidelines of the institution to recognise other forms of formal, informal and non-formal learning and experience.

In cases where learners do not comply with the formal admission requirements, the institution applies its RPL policy.

Entry requirements

The minimum entry requirement for this qualification is

• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, NQF Level 8.

1. Effectively manage oneself.
2. Work within a multi-professional and inter-sectoral teams.
3. Understand data and transform data into useful knowledge.
4. Manage change strategically within the health sector.
5. Manage organisational change.
6. Operationalise service change.
7. Manage human resources.
8. Manage financial resources within the public health sector.

1. Improve personal skills in time management, setting personal goals communicating effectively, running effective, being assertive.
2. Be able to motivate people, work in teams and manage diversity.
3. Be able to develop and calculate relevant indicators necessary to function as a health service manager.

1.

• Understand the logic of strategic management.
• Identify and analyse options using scenario planning and strategic choice.
• Be able to set strategic goals and objectives.
• Take full account of the interests of all relevant groups of stakeholders.
• Be able to formulate and communicate a vision and mission for an organisation.
• Be able to develop a strategic plan.
• Be able to develop and monitor business and service plans for the organisation.
• Develop a management information strategy for the organisation.

2.

• Understand organisational metaphors (structure, culture and strategy).
• Able to analyse organisations.
• Able to design and implement organisational structures required for change.
• Able to implement needed changes within the organisation and facilitate organisational development.
• Understand and be able to assess managerial effectiveness.
• Able to initiate management development strategies thereby develop the culture and skills required to meet current and future needs.
• Analyse where change is needed in the services delivered by the organisation.

3.

• Operationalise service change including rationalisation and restructuring.
• Develop quality user-orientated health services.
• Develop and monitor health programmes.
• Apply a project management approach to managing projects.

4.

Develop the appropriate organisational processes for good people management (training strategies, performance appraisal, selecting, deselecting and promoting staff, affirmative action strategies).

5.

• Understand the macroeconomic framework and the need for a new financial management system.
• Be able to rationalise and restructure resources toward equity and efficiency.
• Be able to do basic costing and develop budgets.
• Be able to monitor financial performance in relation to programme objectives.
• Be able to compare and evaluate options form a financial perspective.
• Be able to perform sensitivity analysis around the major cost drives of the budget, inflation, expenditure options overtime (multi-year budgeting) and budgets cuts.
• Understand the requisite institutional framework for financial and performance measurement.
• Understand how to implement new financial management scheme.

C)

• Understand the health and socio-economic and Public service context.
• Understanding and interpreting national policy.
• Understanding international trends in public health policy.
• Being able to monitor and evaluate change in health care systems.
• Be able to describe the burden of a disease or group of diseases, in economic and medical terms: for the individual, for the community and for society
• Be able to describe health services provided in terms of inputs, processes, outputs and outcomes.
• Be able to describe the nature and patterns of service provision and utilisation in terms of efficacy, efficiency, equity, acceptability, accessibility, and appropriateness (with respect to needs and affordability).
• Be able to evaluate a health system using rapid appraisal methods.

Integrated Assessment

Assessment Methods

In block

• Peer-reviewed oral presentations on matters related to the course content
• Group assignments relevant to the content of the course.
• Individual tasks peer and facilitator assessed

Inter-block Assessment

• Eight individual assignments designed to integrate the content of the qualification while being relevant to the learner's work context.

Course project

• Each learner completes a management project using project management skills. The project should be relevant to the learner's work situation, and should be implemented and evaluated during the qualification.