New HASA board: the right mix at the right time.

842 December 2014, Vol. 104, No. 12 The new board of the Hospital Association of South Africa (HASA), elected at its annual general meeting shortly after the association’s annual conference in Sandton this October, brings added depth and a wide variety of skills to the seismic shifts changing the face of healthcare delivery in South Africa. Pledging her association to work with government in fulfilling its vision of increased access to healthcare, chairperson Melanie Da Costa (elected for a second term) said that HASA would continue to seek innovative ways to deliver private healthcare to more South Africans. She described HASA, which represents 80% of private hospital beds in the country, as ‘a national asset which we believe offers patients value for money and quality healthcare’. She said the election of its members came at an important time for the organisation, which was embracing change and helping government and other healthcare players ‘converge, connect and co-create’ new scenarios – a theme that defined its recent conference. HASA CEO Dumisani Bomela said he expected the ‘highly functional and fruitful’ co-operation between his management and the board to continue, allowing his team to implement their strategic plans successfully. The new HASA board of directors con sists of Melanie Da Costa, Director: Strategy and Health at Netcare (Chairperson), Kamy Chetty, Strategic Relations and Health Policy at Life Healthcare and former Deputy Director, Service Delivery in the National Department of Health (one of the chief architects of the controversial Certificate of Need legislation) (Deputy Chairperson), Biren Valodia, Chief Marketing Officer at Mediclinic, Jacques du Plessis, MD, Hospitals at Netcare, Nkaki Matlala, Director: Government and Industry Affairs at Mediclinic, Steve Taylor, General Manager: Coastal Region at Life Healthcare, Otto Wypkema, CEO, National Hospital Network, Amil Devchand, Chief Operating Officer at Lenmed (all members), Tinnie van den Berg, Manager; Zuid Afrikaans Hospital (Treasurer), and Dumisani Bomela (HASA CEO and ex-officio member).