Management Practices in Saudi Arabias Public Hospitals Dissertation

Management Practices in Saudi Arabias Public Hospitals - Dissertation Example The paper â€Å"Management Practices in Saudi Arabia’s Public Hospitals† examines the challenges relative to developing high quality health care in Saudi Arabia. It is known that the Saudi Arabian government has been giving high priority to health care in its developmental plans but despite the high spending, services in the sector are not up to the mark. It thus becomes imperative to examine managerial philosophies in the context of leadership styles, organizational culture and its relationship with quality management practices in public hospitals in the country. It is evident that quality management has not been adopted in the country’s public sector in the true spirit primarily because of the difficulties faced because of several factors relative to the country’s culture and barriers faced in implementing modern management practices. This research has focused on examining the hurdles and identifying the issues that prevent implementation of good managem ent practices. Given that quality is the focus of all organizations in a competitive environment, it becomes important for public hospitals in Saudi Arabia to make quality the highest priority in their functions. Although quality management connotes varied meanings for organizations, the healthcare sector needs to recognize that strict professional standards should be maintained by focusing on customer understanding and investments. Quality performance is known to strongly impact operational performance but the main issue is how to make the required achievements. The literature review has examined the viewpoints of several researchers that have considered how variables of quality management influence performance, such as external quality requirements, corporate support for quality, managerial knowledge, product complexity and organizational uncertainty. The size of the industry, country and processes undertaken by the organization are also determinants of quality management practice s. Whatever the circumstances that characterize the working of any organization, the support of the top management is essential to provide a meaningful direction to workers. Innovations are necessary in order to make improvements in services, procedures and products. In the context of public hospitals in Saudi Arabia, transformational leadership has been found to result in employee motivation and satisfaction. Using this style in healthcare helps in providing a clear concept about how quality services are to be provided in hospitals. Moreover, quality standards and other strategies help in improving the status and satisfaction of patients. Given that customer satisfaction is a measure of quality, evaluating and monitoring healthcare are important to achieve high standards in public hospitals. In the present context, socio economic progress in Saudi Arabia during the last thirty years can be seen in sectors such as transport, education and health. In view of the development in health services, longevity has increased in the country, while change in lifestyle has led to increase in chronic diseases. However, the Ministry of Health in the country is facing problems in making long term plans in health care because of the unavailability of reliable data relative to health facilities. But the health care sector in Saudi Arabia is being improved with the introduction of health insurance, paid medical services, privatization of medical services and decentralizing authority in hospitals. However, these measures are still in the infancy stage and healthcare continues to be free for all citizens as well as expatriates that work in the public sector. Free medical and rehabilitation services in hospitals, particularly in big cities, have