Department of Defence Annual Report 2008-2009

| Department of Defence |
Chapter 7
Programme 5: Military Health Support
Overview
The Military Health Support Programme met
most of the demands for operational support,
force utilisation and support to other government
departments. The South African Military Health
Service (SAMHS) instituted management
interventions during the nancial year 2008/09 in
alignment with the priorities of the Minister of
Defence, the Secretary for Defence and the Strategic
Planning Guidelines of the Chief of the SANDF (C
SANDF). The Surgeon-General’s Intent formalised
the SAMHS’s strategic direction and directed
the management interventions to sustain current
performance and address risks that pose a threat to
performance.
The SAMHS’s engagements with foreign countries
increased as part of Government’s broader foreign
policy. The Surgeon-Generals of China, Algeria
and Germany visited the SAMHS. The SAMHS’s
members were utilised in United Nations and
African Union posts and participated in foreign
learning opportunities, such as the Field Hospital
Course in China. Several foreign students were
accommodated in various SAMHS learning
opportunities. The SAMHS’s specialised courses in
the Law of Armed Conict and battleeld trauma
are in high demand for presentation under the aegis
of the International Congress for Military Medicine,
and the Pan African Congress for Military Medicine.
The SAMHS initiated the establishment of a South
African Development Community (SADC) Military
Health Service Doctrine Work Group to explore
operational health doctrines. A workshop was held
for the Africa Aerospace and Defence Exhibition
2008 with representatives from SADC, UNAIDS,
the World Health Organisation (WHO), invited
academics and members of the Department of
Defence (DOD). During the Non-proliferation
Council of SA’s Chemical Weapons Convention, the
SAMHS presented the Chemical Protection Course
for African State Parties.
The SAMHS participated fully and made valuable
contributions to the National Health Cluster. The
signing of the Memorandum of Collaboration
between the DOD and the Department of Health
in KwaZulu-Natal has paved the way for renewed
and formalised co-operation between the two
departments. The agreement of co-operation
between the SAMHS and the Order of St John was
renewed, thereby conrming close co-operation
between the two organisations.
Medical ofcers from the Reserves provided
health support to the Mpumalanga Department
of Health during shortages of healthcare workers
at the Rob Ferreira Hospital in Nelspruit. Health
services were provided to 1 200 displaced foreign
nationals in the Western Cape. The collateral utility
of SAMHS members was practised during an
interdepartmental simulation exercise of an aircraft
crash. The development of military communities
had been focus areas through increased health and
psychosocial prevention and promotion actions.
Optimisation of health assessments and conversions
has continued to improve the readiness of the South
African National Defence Force (SANDF). The
chemical, biological and radiation defence capability
for the 2010 Fédération Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA) World Cup was developed, and
training conducted according to plan.
The SAMHS Command Council incorporated the
SAMHS Accountability Management Committee to
establish a rm base to perform strategic functions,
and to ensure governance and accountability. The
risks were addressed by means of master plans ie
the Human Resources and Facility Master Plan.
Interventions to address the recruitment and
retention of healthcare practitioners continued
to be instituted. The phasing in of procurement
and replacement of obsolete equipment ie mobile
evacuation product systems such as ambulances,
has shown steady progress. The modernisation and
migration of obsolete health information systems
into electronically-operated systems are beginning
to yield results.
The SAMHS interventions to improve the service
conditions of healthcare practitioners as part of the
recruitment and retention strategy are of note. The
SAMHS has continued to highlight the shortage of
healthcare practitioners, specically with regard to
the increased demand for operational deployments.
This strategic issue will directly impact on the state of
readiness of the DOD. The increasing recruitment
and utilisation of Military Skills Development
System (MSDS) members in an effort to rejuvenate
| Programme 5: Military Health Support |
109 Annual Report FY 2008 - 2009