BPN BUTHELEZI
Vryheid
Summary
To join the organization as General Practitioner and medical assessor for position to participate in medical AI sector.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Hospital Clinical Manager
Mediclinic Southern Africa
03.2020 - 01.2025
- Joined Muelmed Hospital in Pretoria as Hospital Clinical Manager – this was Covid19 time in South Africa and the world. The clinical team which I was leading had to develop new ways of working, inter alia:
- Strict use of PPE for specialists’ doctors, nurses and patients
- Remote (office) ways of working using digital /electronic systems
- Reliance on telemedicine tools
- Introduction of new treatments regularly and a need to adapt to them
- Novel ways of managing clinical resources, especially ventilators
- Review of clinical policies to adapt to the new setting
- Training updates on vaccinology and virology including adherence to Infection prevention and control protocols.
- The post Covid19 period (2024 onwards left an indelible mark in the hospital as most systems transformed to electronic:
- Patient monitoring, Clinical notes and operative/surgical modalities became increasingly non-contact and the use endoscopy surged. We were inadvertently introduced to the AI world sooner. The overall experience as hospital clinical manager was to support specialists’ doctors from various disciplines to adapt to the new environment (of digital/electronic systems). In my leadership role I had to maintain quick responsiveness to hospital patient needs. The other tasks were to improve effectiveness of business systems (clinical service delivery, patient satisfaction systems and systems to monitor compliance with relevant policies).
Clinical Manager
KZN Department of Health - Vryheid District Hospital
01.2015 - 01.2019
- Delegated tasks, for example ward rounds, clinical procedures, overseeing medical outpatient & emergency departments to each doctor and oversaw task completion, offering assistance when needed.
- Managed patient care and clinic services, including financial management, equipment purchases, quality assurance and safety and risk management.
- Oversaw clinical operations and procedures while remaining current of national and provincial regulations to ensure organization processes were fully compliant with new healthcare law requirements. Also performed minor and major surgical procedures in the operating theater.
- Supervised a 20-doctor district hospital that catered to approximately 6000 patients per month with medical issues. Further managed Allied Health Professionals who attended to another approximately 1000 patients per month. There are 16 surrounding clinics attached to the hospital that were also catered under my management.
- Enforced compliance with local, district, and provincial healthcare regulations, including Medical Aid requirements, HPCSA and other regulatory bodies in South Africa.
- Drove attainment of optimal outcomes through case management focused on appropriate treatment, clinical quality assurance and service utilization (using "dashboard monitoring" technique) of the national core standards.
- Liaised between patients and doctors, initiating discussions regarding care. We used patient complaints register to monitor progress. Clinical meetings were held weekly on Friday morning. Patient satisfaction surveys consistently showed more that 85% satisfaction. Case resolution was close to 100% and more than 95% positive outcomes for the department of health.
- Interviewed applicants and made recommendations for new hires. As acting medical manager I oversaw transfer in of one clinical manager, hired two full-time medical officers; two part-time medical officers and successfully applied for retention of 9 session doctors based on patient needs and clinical performance.
- This exercise also improved relations and cohesion between the hospital and local private doctor community.
- Coordinated monthly work schedules for all doctors in the hospital both full and part time employees.
- Improved policies and procedures through development, implementation, revision and evaluation of new protocols, especially in the maternity section in order to curb maternal & neonatal/child morbidity & mortality numbers.
- Encouraged high morale and staff retention through effective communication, prompt problem resolution, proactive supervisory practices and the facilitation of a proactive work environment.
- Facilitated teamwork in all various departments to optimize desired clinical and administrative outcomes.
- Supported Chief Executive Officer in all her endeavors to improve hospital performance, for example by communicating with tertiary hospital about referral problems and establishing best practices.
- Implemented and strongly encouraged primary health care approach as is department policy. I set an example by personally supporting five local clinics attached to the hospital. We subsequently now have a sustainable clinic support system with a full-time senior medical officer (primary health care) appointed by District manager in 2019.
- I actively contributed to resolutions of the referral system challenges, this by attending and contributing to all District Referral System quarterly meetings. This has improved our relation with neighbor hospitals and EMS officers. The result is that we are able to cross refer pro re nata when there are problems like bleeding obstetric patients. We consequently have an effective communication and improved attitudes with Emergency Medical Services. (EMS). Acted as Medical Manager for one year and in that period acted as hospital CEO when she was away.
Clinical Manager
Mbongolwane Hospital, Eshowe
01.2011 - 01.2015
- I was appointed to the position of clinical manager in November 2011. My responsibility was to manage medical services of the hospital. To date the achievements have been hiring and managing sessional doctors, reviving X-ray department (including full digital migration), initiation of afternoon teaching ward rounds, establishment of 24hr clinical support services (general management team, X-ray & pharmacy departments), establishment of health committees, initiating and running Clinical Audit, Mortality & Morbidity meetings, revival of outreach clinical services to feeder clinics, re-organization of the HAST unit, contributing to the district referral system document, contributing an article on National Health Insurance and implementation of ethos of National Core Standards & Negotiated Service Delivery Agreement.There are other medical services programs I manage that speak to effective service delivery e.g. I fully manage facility information office and am making concerted effort to connect daily activities of the hospital to the targets of the department of health and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). We achieve this by tirelessly educating staff about DOH targets e.g. bed utilization rate (BUR), average length of stay (ALOS) and sensitizing them to costs constraints of hospital activities.
Acting Chief Executive Officer
Mbongolwane District Hospital
09.2014 - 11.2014
- Appointed to Acting CEO position by District Manager – This was a period of ‘turbulence’ in the institution as we had to deal with negative media publicity, staff shortages and service delivery concerns. As Acting CEO and Medical manager, I reshuffled my daily schedule to accommodate new responsibilities (moved ward rounds to 7 am, scheduled meetings to start at 09h00 am, kept 13h00 to 14h00 for wellness clinic, 15h30 for afternoon ward rounds and I wrote non-urgent reports between 18h00 -19h00. All urgent matters were dealt with on the spot, as much as possible. I also delegated a lot of clinical work to doctor colleagues i.e. outpatient clinic & theater work. This allowed me to still have time to attend outside meetings. I suspect that if I am appointed to the incumbent position, this experience will be helpful. CEO, who had been on sick leave returned to a smooth transition and I continued to be an asset in her management team as she steered the institution to the required service delivery level. District manager testimony was reassuring, as she acknowledged my contribution as acting CEO.
Principal Medical Officer
Frontier Hospital, Queenstown
02.2009 - 08.2011
- I worked in Frontier hospital from February 2009 until end of August 2011. My main responsibility was to work in the department of Obstetrics & Gynecology as principal medical officer and I assisted HOD with basic administrative work (allocation of duties for doctors, preparation & reviews of perinatal meetings, preparation of monthly reports & accompanying him to Senior Management meetings). The relationship of trust we built paid off later when I was sent to outside provincial meetings on HIV/AIDS and NHI. This exposed me to how the department of health functions and makes decisions. I acquired good presentation skills during these meetings. I personally made presentations to the MEC and his HODs on matters relating to occupation specific dispensation (OSD), Public Private Partnerships and Recruitment & Retention of Doctors in the Public Service. On various times, I was also tasked to be Acting Head of Department when he was away.
Chairman of Senior Hospital Doctors of South Africa (SEHDASA)
SAMA, Pretoria
01.2010 - 02.2011
- I served in this elected position for one term (Jan 2010 –Feb 2011). SAMA was headed by Dr N. Mabasa, who is an erstwhile MEC of Health in Limpopo, and it was undergoing an intensive transformation and uniting process. My contribution was to strengthen and unite the public sector component of the organization. I was also instrumental in building confidence of doctors in the organization by running extensive roadshows and speaking in different forums in an attempt to clarify SAMA position on RWOPS for specialists’ doctors, among other programs. We also worked hard to strengthen relations with department of health and HPCSA, on behalf of doctors in the country. During this tenure, I also served in Finance Committee of the organization, in which matters such as determining the future of SAMedical Journal (through an analyses of its economic value), was hotly contested. I was of the majority opinion that SAMJ needed to kept but its electronic version had to be equally encouraged. As chairman of SEDAHSA I directly participated in the Salary Negotiations for Doctors which culminated in Resolution 1 of 2010 (OSD).
Senior Medical Officer
Ladysmith Regional Hospital
01.2006 - 01.2009
- I worked at Ladysmith Regional Hospital between 2006 - 2009. I served in various capacities in the hospital from internship until I was Acting Head of Department when the HOD was away. The latter role was in the busy department of Obstetrics & Gynecology. As senior medical officer I honed my clinical skills to the best of my ability and as Acting Head I ensured that the department functioned in the absence of HOD. I specifically ran perinatal meetings and collaborated in the multidisciplinary teams, on behalf of HOD. I also supervised and managed junior colleagues, i.e. interns and CSMOs. I left when Ladysmith Hospital was functioning well and at the invitation to assume a more senior role in the department of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Frontier Hospital in Queenstown, as has been described above.
Consultant Data Collection for Epidemiology
KZN DOH
01.2001 - 01.2001
- I consulted for KZN DOH in the Cholera epidemic of 2001 – in this project I managed a group of 10 fieldworkers conducting data collection and basic education for all communities in KwaZulu-Natal along DOH demarcations. Planning and delivering on time were strong attributes of the project. The epidemic was ultimately controlled because of measures we put in on basic education of Oral Rehydration Therapy and Hygiene.
Education
MBChB -
University of Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa01.2005
Health & Human Rights short course - undefined
01.2001
BSc Medicine Honours - undefined
University of Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa01.1996
BSc Physics & Applied Physics - undefined
University of KwaZulu-Natal
South Africa01.1995
Skills
- Clinical leadership
- Training and mentoring
- Staff supervision
- Staff scheduling
Affiliations
- Institute Of Directors of Southern Africa
- South African Medical Association of SA
- Health Profession Council of SA
Timeline
Hospital Clinical Manager
Mediclinic Southern Africa
03.2020 - 01.2025
Clinical Manager
KZN Department of Health - Vryheid District Hospital
01.2015 - 01.2019
Acting Chief Executive Officer
Mbongolwane District Hospital
09.2014 - 11.2014
Clinical Manager
Mbongolwane Hospital, Eshowe
01.2011 - 01.2015
Chairman of Senior Hospital Doctors of South Africa (SEHDASA)
SAMA, Pretoria
01.2010 - 02.2011
Principal Medical Officer
Frontier Hospital, Queenstown
02.2009 - 08.2011
Senior Medical Officer
Ladysmith Regional Hospital
01.2006 - 01.2009
Consultant Data Collection for Epidemiology
KZN DOH
01.2001 - 01.2001
Health & Human Rights short course - undefined
BSc Medicine Honours - undefined
University of Cape Town
BSc Physics & Applied Physics - undefined
University of KwaZulu-Natal
MBChB -
University of Cape Town
RESEARCH ASSISTANT
- Professor Ralph Kirsch (UCT) – 2001 to 2005
- Professor N Ntusi (current President of MRC) - 2004
- Prof Sharpey-Schaffer (National Accelerator Centre) – 1996 to 1997
- Prof Ahmed Bawa (Senate, UDW) – 1993 to 1994
POSITIONS HELD
- Clinical Managers Forum: Founder member - 2013
- Chairman: Senior Hospital Doctors of SA (SEHDASA) – 2010 to 2011
- Chairman: SAMA QUEENSTOWN BRANCH - 2010 to 2011
- Student member: Kromboom Rotary Club, Cape Town - 2001 to 2005
- Chairman: Rural Support Network, UCT - 2002 to 2004
- Delegate: SA Parliamentary presentation on initiation of Community service for doctors in South Africa – 1996
- Participant in the original adoption of patients’ rights charted in SA
- Exco member: UKZN (UDW Campus) Student Representative Council - 1993 to 1994
- General Secretary: UDW Physics Society – 1994
OTHER POSITIONS HELD IN SOCIETY
- Family Spokesperson of Royal Residence
- Chairperson of Clan Advisory Council
- Program director Mediclinic CPD event for Tshwane (Pretoria) doctors
References
- Prof L, London, Director: School of Public Health, leslie.london@uct.ac.za, (021) 406 6524, University of Cape Town, Private Bag, Rondebosch, South Africa, 7701
- Dr WW, Chitha, Director: Center for Global Health & Research, wezile.chitha@impilo.ecprov.gov.za, (047)5022844, Walter Sisulu University, Private Bag X1, UNITRA, Umthatha, South Africa, 5117, former Senior Superintendent – Frontier Hospital