Rapid digital transformation is underway in South Africa’s healthcare sector and, with a vision of improving access and enhancing patient care, supporting healthcare practitioners and saving costs, the country’s healthcare providers are reshaping the patient journey and laying the digital foundations for the future.
“There’s a burst of innovation in the healthcare tech spaces as organisations are adopting a range of emerging technologies,” says Raymond Plotz, CIO at Mediclinic Southern Africa. “There are unique challenges as healthcare providers are currently dependent on legacy systems that don’t transition easily and smoothly to digital and cloud-based solutions.
“Also, our systems handle such sensitive healthcare and patient data that the sector cannot indulge in significant downtime or sudden, sweeping disruptions,” Plotz adds. “This is resulting in some of the most interesting and stimulating opportunities for agile, problem-solving tech workers at the leading edge of digital transformation.”
Currently, SA healthcare’s top 10 in-demand tech skills are the following:
• Computer science
• Information technology
• SQL
• Information systems
• Data analysis
• Agile methodology
• Project management
• Process improvement
• Technical support
• C# and Python
Gilienne Engel, Talent Manager at Mediclinic says, “For seasoned and emerging tech professionals such as Solutions and Systems Architects, Software Engineers, Data and Business Systems Analysts, Information Security Officers, Application Analysts and Data Scientists there is a rich, open field in the healthcare sector to forge exciting and purposeful career paths,” says Gilienne Engel, talent manager at Mediclinic.
Engel adds that while Mediclinic is always on the lookout for tech talent with experience in standards such as HL7 (Health Level 7) and FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources), there is still significant opportunity for those ICT professionals who want to switch sectors and be part of the digital transformation of healthcare.
Engel says, “For a person with the right ICT skills and experience, the industry exposure within the healthcare sector can be acquired on the job and is not necessarily an essential entry requirement,” Engel says. “Many competitive appointments for roles such as Systems Analysts and Systems Developers cite ‘healthcare sector experience’ as an advantage, but not a requirement, to win the job.”
What healthcare information technology does have to offer talent are relevant and interesting technology platforms that will enable them to keep their skills fresh and challenge their problem-solving and innovation capabilities.
“This is a field of ICT that tends to attract tech workers who want to work with purpose,” says Plotz. “Our Mediclinic ICT team is strongly aligned to our company values and there’s a keen sense every day that we’re not just doing ‘back-office’ work, but pioneering new and better pathways for patients and healthcare practitioners through our ICT projects.”