Strategic Management Practices in Mbagathi District Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

This research project is titled strategic management practices in Mbagathi District Hospital. Mbagathi District Hospital is located within the capital city of Nairobi and is the main District Hospital serving a population of more than 3 million people. The hospital has utilised the funds granted by the government and donors to improve the service delivery to the many patients that visit the hospital. The objective of the project was to determine the strategic management practices and challenges of the strategic management practices at Mbagathi District hospital. The research design was a case study. The respondents were interviewed using an interview guide and the responses documented. The responses were analysed using content analysis. The study found that some of the challenge faced by the hospital in formulation, implementation and evaluation of the strategic management practices included insufficient funding and the need to adhere to government policy. Other challenges that were noted included limited bed capacity and shortage of medical supplies. The hospital has responded to some of these challenges by providing additional space within the hospital for donors to undertake their projects. In addition, the hospital has undertaken cost cutting measures by adopting practices such as outsourcing. The study concluded that the hospital has adopted strategic management practices as evidenced by the vision and mission of the hospital. The ministry of health has the overall strategic plan for the district hospitals which are broken down into work plans that are developed by the management teams of the various district hospitals. The work plan of Mbagathi District Hospital is formulated, implemented and evaluated by the management of the hospital offering guidance on the annual revenue and expenditure budget of the hospital. The researcher noted that input is received from all the staff during the process of formulation therefore making the implementation of strategy easier. The study also noted that the management of the hospital meet at the end of each month and quarterly to evaluate the progress made in achieving the work plan. Corrective actions are approved in such meetings and the heads of the affected departments are assigned the responsibility of implementing the corrective actions. Due to such actions from the management of the hospital, everyone working within the hospital feels free to contribute their ideas and challenges during departmental meetings which have yielded constructive discussions therefore improving service delivery to patients. In addition, the management has been able to implement changes such as computerising of patients records and cash collection, resulting in quick retrieval of records and improved cash collection. Due to the good strategic management practices in place, the hospital has also been able to attract donors who have continued to fund projects within the hospital that have greatly benefitted patients.