Cohsasa appoints new board members

Dr Victor Letsoejane Litlhakanyane

Dr Brenda Kubheka

Welcoming the new board appointments, Jacqui Stewart, CEO of Cohsasa said: “I am absolutely delighted to have two such consummate professionals join the Cohsasa board. They bring a wealth of experience and expertise to complement the other directors.”

Newly appointed chairperson of Cohsasa, Mr Nhlanhla Nene, also welcomed the new appointments. “On behalf of the board of Cohsasa, I am pleased to welcome Dr Kubheka and Dr Litlhakanyane as new directors and thank them for being available to serve the organisation in its mission to support and promote quality health services. Their experience and passion in the sector will add tremendous value to Cohsasa’s strategic objective into the future.”
Dr Kubheka, founder and managing director of Health IQ Consulting and a founder of Matched Media is a well-rounded healthcare, ethics and health services strengthening professional. She has worked in both the private and public sectors in South Africa and has a wealth of experience and knowledge in health service management, managed healthcare, public health, and healthcare ethics.

She began her career as an intern at Madadeni Provincial Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal and worked her way up the public sector healthcare ladder to be appointed as chief director of the Mpumalanga Department of Health.

However, interspersed with her work in the public sector, she was a medical advisor and senior operations manager for hospital and pathology benefit management for Medscheme Holdings. She also trained as a surveyor for Cohsasa and lectured at Monash University (SA), University of Pretoria and the University of the Witwatersrand in health topics.

Her work experience includes occupying roles of a clinician, health services standards assessor, advisor consultant, mentor, and entrepreneur, and working as a senior manager in managed healthcare, and an executive leader in provincial health services. She also serves in the HPCSA’s professional conduct committee.

Dr Kubheka’s diverse experiences and qualifications in medicine, business, media and policy have enabled her to engage locally and globally on these issues.

She is also a researcher with a special interest in patient safety, digital medicine, social justice, and bioethics. She has published opinion pieces and academic papers internationally and is considered a thought leader in issues relevant to the health profession, national agenda and global health issues.

Says Dr Kubheka: “As a health professional who has experienced healthcare as a patient, leader and an entrepreneur, and a health justice advocate, I bring a unique blend of experience and perspectives to my role as a board member of Cohsasa in the context of African healthcare. I will play a pivotal role in repositioning and fostering the growth of the organisation by providing strategic direction, mobilising partnerships and promoting innovation while ensuring accountability to support a sustainable trajectory towards success. “I seek to forge collaborations that not only reposition the organisation but also create a lasting impact on the landscape of healthcare quality improvement in Southern Africa.”

Dr Victor Litlhakanyane

Dr Victor Letsoejane Litlhakanyane is a radiation oncologist and has been a leader, in both public and private sectors, in healthcare on the African continent for more than 26 years. Starting out as an intern at the Pelonomi Academic Hospital in the Free State Province of South Africa, he was appointed as a registrar in the Department of Radiation Oncology where he was involved in teaching and research functions.

Dr Litlhakanyane was appointed chief director for the health service in the Free State province in 1995 where he was responsible for the deracialisation and transformation of the health services.

In 2001, he was appointed as superintendent general and head of the Department of Health in the Free State province, managing 30 hospitals and more than 100 primary health clinics.

He has extensive experience in the private sector being appointed as an executive director at Netcare, one of the largest private health groups in South Africa in 2004. After leaving Netcare, he was managing director of several private companies, non-executive director and consultant at several private hospital groups and is currently an independent non-executive chairman of Life Healthcare Group.

He started his academic journey with a MBChB from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and a masters in Medicine (clinical oncology) from the University of the Free State in 1995. Soon after this he received the Oliver Tambo Fellowship in Health Leadership.

He has a masters in Business Administration in Health Care from the University of Free State, a certificate in Health Services Management from Clark Atlanta University in the USA, and a postgraduate diploma in Health Management from the University of Cape Town. He has presented a number of papers at national and international conferences.

He was a visiting professor in the faculties of Health Sciences and Economic Management Sciences at the University of the Free State and an honorary senior lecturer at the faculty of Health Sciences at Walter Sisulu University.

Dr Litlhakanyane is registered with the HPCSA as a medical practitioner and radiation oncologist. He was a board member of the Hospital Association of South Africa until 2011.

He is an Associate of The College of Radiation Oncologists of South Africa and served on the college council for a number of years. He is a trustee of the Colleges of Medicines of South Africa, a member of the Free State University council until 2004 and served on the WHO patient safety panel for a number of years. He was a trustee of the Health Systems Trust till October 2016.

Says Dr Litlhakanyane of his appointment: ”I hope to contribute towards improved access to quality public and private health services, accredited in terms of evidence based international health quality standards, throughout the African continent.”