Renaissance Health appoints new Principal Officer
New Renaissance Health Principal Officer Sonja Malan believes that cooperation between public and private sector health sectors will relieve pressure on state health facilities and will play an important role in attaining the health components of Vision 2030.
She previously supported the Principal Officer of a Namibian Medical Aid Fund on a day-to-day basis. The close working relationship gave her excellent experience of all managerial aspects of a medical aid fund, and she led the field of candidates applying for the Renaissance vacancy.
According to the Renaissance trustees, the recruitment process included close scrutiny of the candidates’ own motivation for wanting to steer Renaissance, and Sonja’s personal objectives of interaction with medical professionals and industry stakeholders superceded the objectives of other candidates. “We believe that Sonja’s experience in the Medical aid Fund environment and within the local health industry, will enhance our policy of constructive engagement with the industry, and strengthen the bridges we have already built,” the trustees said.
“Her background in law will assist her in the complexities of corporate governance, not just in navigating the baseline requirements in a dynamic financial environment, but also in ensuring the evolution of governance to best represent and satisfy the interests of Renaissance members”.
Speaking on the broader role of Renaissance Health, Malan said “The vision and mission statements should not be empty promises, but we should live up to its standards by working in smart partnerships with the government in realising the health aspects of Vision 2030.”
“We understand that public sector health services are under pressure, and that there are conflicting developmental requirements, all of which require finances from limited resources. As the Namibian middle class emerges, private medical aid funds and private sector health facilities can relieve the pressure on state facilities, however this has to be done in a way which coordinates the goals of the medical aid fund and the goals of Vision 2030. In light of this, stakeholder engagement will be important,” Malan said.
She is a Namibian who graduated in 2006 with a BA (Law) degree from Stellenbosch and she is currently completing her LLB.
Former Principal Officer, Dr Elton Black, has left to devote time to Thrive Consulting Group Namibia, who specializes in organizational effectiveness and wellness consulting.
