School for Organisation and Resource Management

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Browsing School for Organisation and Resource Management by Author "Bhembe, Michaeline"

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    Exploring the resource management challenges that prompted the South African Military Health Services to outsource
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2020-12) Bhembe, Michaeline; Mkhize, Comfort; Ramokgadi, S. B.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Military Sciences. School for Defence Organisation and Resource Management.
    ENGLISH ABSTRACT: There is a growing body of research that confirms that organisations often resort to outsourcing when they are experiencing resource management challenges. Outsourcing is mainly used as a cost-saving strategy. While this is done primarily by the private and public sectors, military organisations are increasingly using outsourcing as a better option. While little (or no substantive) research has been conducted in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) regarding the rationale behind outsourcing, no specific research has focused on why the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS) decided to outsource healthcare services. Against this backdrop, this study seeks to bridge this knowledge gap. The purpose of the study is to explore the resource management challenges that prompted SAMHS to outsource healthcare services. The study employed administrative management theory, resource dependency theory, and privatization theory to explain why organisations resort to outsourcing. The study adopted a qualitative explorative and descriptive design to conduct the research involving an intense literature review to collect data. Multiple methods were used to collect data such as information in the archives, books, online journals, government gazette, policy documents and available relevant documents from SANDF to obtain quality data, was conducted. Content analysis was used to analyse the data that was collected from primary and secondary sources. The findings reveal that a lack of management skills and governance led to mismanagement of resources and the cause for outsourcing of healthcare services by the SAMHS. Non-compliance with the policies and the legislative framework by managers led to resource management challenges. The SAMHS did not outsource healthcare services as a cost-saving strategy, but mainly because of a lack of resources and specialised skills to carry out its duties. The conclusions show that the outsourcing of healthcare services can be used by the SAMHS to save costs as it has been used and recommended by other health organisations. The establishment of measures and processes for implementation and control is important in the management of contracts between organisations and service providers to ensure that quality services are provided. This study recommends that all managers in managerial positions at all levels in the SANDF and SAMHS organisations should possess management qualifications, skills, knowledge, capability, and experience. This will ensure that the management of all resources is implemented cost-effectively so healthcare service delivery does not suffer. The refurbishment of the facilities should be completed so that the outsourcing of services can be minimised. The SANDF and SAMHS should adhere to procurement processes when purchasing equipment and medical supplies to avoid irregular expenditure. Lastly, there must be strict adherence to all the legal frameworks that specify how patient care should be managed and provided to the patients, as well as how the responsibilities of healthcare service providers, including managers of healthcare organisations, should be practiced. Finally, the study suggests that future research (preferably field research) should be conducted in this field.