Dr Gadirobe Baby Mothibi brings a comprehensive set of qualifications and strategic vision to her new role as Executive Director for Health in the City of Johannesburg. She will also chair the Human and Social Development Cluster. This combined expertise will undoubtedly contribute significantly to the success of healthcare initiatives within the City. In her vision for a well-established universal health system, Dr Mothibi prioritises treating all patients with respect and dignity. She believes in an equitable system where patients’ ideas and input are valued within the healthcare sector. Dr Mothibi’s vision extends beyond internal improvements. She also plans to train and deploy community health workers to educate and promote preventive healthcare within communities. This initiative, alongside the strengthening of primary healthcare services, will serve as the foundation for a well-established universal health system.
Some of the strategies she wishes to implement and enhance in the department include comprehensive health education and promotion programmes aimed at empowering individuals and communities with knowledge and skills in preventive healthcare measures.
This can include campaigns on specific health-related topics such as healthy eating, physical activity, disease prevention, hygiene practices, and early detection of health issues.
Another initiative entails training and deploying community health workers to serve as frontline educators and promoters of preventive healthcare within communities.
She suggests that the city can accomplish this by ensuring that primary care facilities are accessible, affordable, and equipped to deliver a wide range of preventive and curative services, including vaccinations, screenings, and health assessments.
By monitoring and evaluating existing and new strategies and fostering a culture of prevention and empowerment within communities, Dr Mothibi believes she can contribute to the development of a fully functional universal health system that promotes sustainable improvements in quality of life and increases life expectancy for all.
Dr Mothibi’s attributes of being a result-oriented, growth-focused, dedicated, organised, ambitious, and goal-oriented individual reflect her strong commitment to creating a conducive environment for achieving healthcare goals, improving service delivery, and enhancing the well-being of individuals and communities.
Her attributes have carried her and allowed Dr Mothibi to make many changes in her career both in the city and in previous places of employment.
“With the teams that I previously worked with, we have managed to innovatively establish advanced HIV/AIDS/TB/NCD care for pediatric and child health, adolescent and youth, maternal and pregnant women, as well as men’s health, and adult health care centers in both the North West and Gauteng province district (Ekurhuleni, City of Johannesburg districts) facilities.”
Dr Mothibi says that her team has also influenced the policy changes in all these areas for better quality prevention and treatment of diseases.
They have also initiated the current City of Johannesburg’s TB outcomes quality improvement plan implementation which applies to and is critical to the TB recovery plan policy.
“By pursuing strategic efforts and potentially tailoring others to meet the needs of specific communities, we can make significant strides in improving healthcare, ultimately leading the system to better health outcomes for individuals and communities,” she says.
When she is not trying to save the world one health care system at a time through her passion for making a difference in people’s lives or transforming their health quality status into the best that it can, she is home practicing self-love and self-care with her three children.
She also enjoys a good book and a good hike out in nature.
Written by Sascha-Lee Joseph