TIAS for hospital professionals

May 23, 2014 On May 22, TIAS provided a one-day master class for hospital professionals from Alexandria in Egypt. These professors, their staff and representatives from the faculty administration visited the Netherlands specifically to learn how to run the new Smouha Hospitals in an innovative manner.

Image: © Nationale Beeldbank

These new hospitals are two medical centers associated with the Alexandria University Faculty of Medicine (AFM), a university medical faculty with hospitals at 9 locations, 40,000 students and 2,000 professors.

The visit to the Netherlands is part of a pilot project. The Dutch Simed Company together with the Hosplus Group through Managing Director El Sayed, have supported AFM during the design and construction of the new hospital locations. The AFM is also being assisted in implementing the Dutch method of operating hospitals in an Egyptian setting, this involving the Smouha Hospitals, together comprising a total of 600 beds. The visitors eventually want to roll out this approach throughout the entire AFM organization. This would no only involve the Dutch manner of operating hospitals, but also the management of the process and the revenue model. They will hereby be supported by two Dutch project managers. The project is financed by an EU subsidy from the ORET program.

The Dutch health care system is highly regarded

"The Dutch care system is highly regarded insofar as hospital care is concerned," notesLuc Kenter, one of the project managers. "We have been working with this group of people for a year and a half. The biggest challenge is to begin operating the Smouha Hospitals by the end of this year so that patients can receive assistance. Besides resolving start-up problems , the establishment of a properly functioning collaboration and consultation structure among the various specializations poses a special challenge. Every month and a half, Mark Sluiter and I will spend a week in Egypt to provide assistance for the group." Clear progress has already been made. "It was now time fora visit to the Netherlands", and TIAS was requested to put together a one-day program.

During this day, the doctors were addressed by 3 professors from TIAS on a variety of topics. Prof. Dr. Freek Aertsen gave a lecture on operations and planning, Prof. Dr. Eelco van Hout lectured on governance and cooperation, and Prof. Dr. Teho Poiesz offered a discussion of market and organizational development. After the lectures, time was allowed for discussions regarding the translation of the academic research into Egyptian practice.

Inspired

Sluiter and Kenter primarily wanted to inspire the specialized group of professors during this day. "They obtained practical knowledge and skill based on a scientific background," states Sluiter. "Normally speaking, this group of people does not have the time to get together. They did that for a day. We had discussions on how to collaborate and how to assume collective responsibility. This moved us a little further along in the process."

The group will again make another visit to the Netherlands in the Fall.