Ineffective programme management on the delivery of health infrastructure projects: A case of the Northern Cape

Abstract

Programme management remains a challenging management practice in the Northern Cape Department of Health (NCDoH), particularly when a health facility project has to integrate the components of construction management and operations management in order to attain the benefits of strategic importance. The Northern Cape Department of Health consists of various administrative programmes that are supposed to work together in order to attain the benefits of strategic importance. The inability to integrate construction management and operations management is attributed to poor programme management coordination within the Northern Cape Department of Health. This article reports the findings of a case study which determined how programme management coordination among the administrative programmes in the Provincial Office of the NCDoH, Z. F. Mqcawu District Office and the hospital that underwent revitalisation could be improved during the construction of a health-care facility. Data was obtained through interviews with personnel in the three sectors (provincial office of the NCDoH, district office of the Department of Health, and the hospital that underwent revitalisation) directly involved in the delivery of the infrastructure component of the project and preparations operationalisation of the health facility after completion and handover. The results of the study revealed the inability by the NCDoH to integrate both construction management and operations management, due the poor programme management coordination when a health facility project serves as a means for the delivery of health services after handover. Furthermore, the research revealed, among others, functional silos, lack of skills and knowledge for the identification of the critical success factors relevant for integration of construction and operations management as the contributing factors to poor programme management.