Publications
Partners
A new brand not only gives Mediclinic the opportunity to raise its service levels to new heights, but also repositions all aspects of the business, with positive results for everyone concerned.
“The repositioning of the brand is not merely a matter of appearance and feel; an entire strategy has been developed to reposition all aspects of our business. Such opportunities are usually very exciting, and they motivate staff to do their best, so we believe the impact will be positive,” says Mediclinic Southern Africa CEO Koert Pretorius.
Following presentations to all staff and supporting doctors across the country to share the message and philosophy with all, which was received very positively by one and all, the deployment of the new brand is now fully under way.
“In the first place, we are trying very hard to be a more attractive employer for our staff. Our strategy for achieving this is to offer our staff market-related compensation and favourable working conditions. We also have a major focus on staff training, especially nursing staff. In addition, we are also striving to be the preferred hospital group for our supporting and referring doctors. We offer quality nursing, advanced technology and world-class infrastructure, which make our hospitals attractive for doctors,” Pretorius emphasises.
The initial cost to develop the new brand concept and strategy was about R15m, he adds. The entire project will be implemented in phases and will take several years.
“The initial cost is high, so we have to undertake the project with great responsibility. During the next financial year, we plan to spend about R40m in South Africa, after which the annual spend will gradually decrease,” he says.
Mediclinic Southern Africa will henceforth sharpen its focus on verifiable, cost-efficient quality care and patient satisfaction. “Our new brand rationale strengthens and supports our vision of creating a sustainable healthcare future for the country,” Pretorius says.
The group is ready to play a significant role as a hospital supplier when the planned National Health Insurance (NHI) system is implemented, since this could create exciting new opportunities, he adds.
“We support the philosophy behind it, namely to make affordable quality care more accessible. We believe the private sector will still play a significant role in providing healthcare services and that the membership of medical aid schemes will not fall significantly, even when the NHI is introduced,” he says.
As far as possible, plans for offering a more affordable type of care for poorer South Africans, for example through lower-cost hospitals/facilities, are afoot. Pretorius says: “We are in fact in the process of initiating a research project in this regard. The only solution for cheaper hospital services is to reduce the underlying costs. This can be done by, for example, the implementation of integrated service-delivery models known as ‘Staff Model HMOs’, which usually offer good value for money, even though the patient’s choices are usually very limited. We feel particularly positive about these models, if they can be implemented in conjunction with the public sector.”
“The repositioning of the brand is not merely a matter of appearance and feel; an entire strategy has been developed to reposition all aspects of our business. Such opportunities are usually very exciting, and they motivate staff to do their best, so we believe the impact will be positive,” says Mediclinic Southern Africa CEO Koert Pretorius.
Following presentations to all staff and supporting doctors across the country to share the message and philosophy with all, which was received very positively by one and all, the deployment of the new brand is now fully under way.
“In the first place, we are trying very hard to be a more attractive employer for our staff. Our strategy for achieving this is to offer our staff market-related compensation and favourable working conditions. We also have a major focus on staff training, especially nursing staff. In addition, we are also striving to be the preferred hospital group for our supporting and referring doctors. We offer quality nursing, advanced technology and world-class infrastructure, which make our hospitals attractive for doctors,” Pretorius emphasises.
The initial cost to develop the new brand concept and strategy was about R15m, he adds. The entire project will be implemented in phases and will take several years.
“The initial cost is high, so we have to undertake the project with great responsibility. During the next financial year, we plan to spend about R40m in South Africa, after which the annual spend will gradually decrease,” he says.
Mediclinic Southern Africa will henceforth sharpen its focus on verifiable, cost-efficient quality care and patient satisfaction. “Our new brand rationale strengthens and supports our vision of creating a sustainable healthcare future for the country,” Pretorius says.
The group is ready to play a significant role as a hospital supplier when the planned National Health Insurance (NHI) system is implemented, since this could create exciting new opportunities, he adds.
“We support the philosophy behind it, namely to make affordable quality care more accessible. We believe the private sector will still play a significant role in providing healthcare services and that the membership of medical aid schemes will not fall significantly, even when the NHI is introduced,” he says.
As far as possible, plans for offering a more affordable type of care for poorer South Africans, for example through lower-cost hospitals/facilities, are afoot. Pretorius says: “We are in fact in the process of initiating a research project in this regard. The only solution for cheaper hospital services is to reduce the underlying costs. This can be done by, for example, the implementation of integrated service-delivery models known as ‘Staff Model HMOs’, which usually offer good value for money, even though the patient’s choices are usually very limited. We feel particularly positive about these models, if they can be implemented in conjunction with the public sector.”
