Repositioning after the storm

In this recalibration, a new set of survival kit is constructed, guided by the developments in the market place. What are the current issues in the Zimbabwean market place that should interest medical aid societies? These issues including the following:
– Emigration of the active group with earnings located in the Diaspora having an estimated population of four million and being of the middle income group.
– An erosion of the banking culture following dollarisation, leading to the growth in cash transactions, thus rendering stop orders, transfers, cheques invalid in the new debanked society.
– The use of hard currencies making everything real — costs, profits, turnovers as opposed to a situation where hyperinflation dwarfed obligations, increasing the capacity of debtors to pay.
– The inability of government to meet its obligations to its employees, leaving families dependant on the US$100 allowance, which is far inadequate in meeting the day to day needs.
– A struggling private sector confronting difficulties in raising working capital, leading to very low capacity utilisation thus threatening many jobs.
There is a clarion call for everyone to go back to the basics, away from the intoxicating effects of hyperinflation, by redefining your core business, your core activities and your core competencies based on perceived market needs.
The real issue revolves around us analysing the market situation and asking ourselves whether the need for the services of a medical aid society actually exist or not, that is now, in the medium term or in the long term.
In crafting our strategy we may have to design it in such a way that our product offering (goods and services) move with the market developments. While the product we offer now may not be ideal, it will be relevant to the market needs, with a specific agenda to migrate to the ideal, once the appropriate situation obtains.
The situation is akin to shooting a moving target. It requires concentration, flexible hands and absolute sensitivity that causes the institution to resonate with the market place.
As in the case of a reconstruction after an earthquake or volcano, new relationships form, new industries and new players emerge.
Events in history, such as the industrial revolution, the great depression, after World War II, the hyperinflation in Israel after the 1970s war, the South American economic hurricanes, the Chinese and Russian post revolutionary eras etc. all point to this rearrangement.
As in periods after natural disasters, new maps are now being drawn, and the storms, the quakes and the eruptions are now over, hopefully.
The survival and growth of the organisation is very similar to the progressive stages of a patient under recovery, there is the:
a)Survival phase
b)Stability phase
c)Success phase
d)Significance phase
This is like moving from an empty cup, to a half full cup, a full cup and an overflowing cup in the significance phase, as the biblical David described it  saying “my cup runneth over”
I want to believe that the recovery process is a tedious journey and you will need many friends along the journey. What we need is to go back to the drawing board and critically define and understand our stakeholdership.
Once this is done, we then constructively put together a viable interconnection, in which, win-win relationships are encouraged. Our future lies in our ability to create relationships that create services that will benefit and uplift the lives of mankind, particularly Zimbabweans.
A well defined, purposeful service will always find its place. Having done the basics, we ought to draw a big circle in which we create strategic alliances. No one firm or institution will survive in the global competitive arena relying on its resources alone.
We need to forge alliances that combine our resources and competencies with other players so that we draw power from the coalition. As the Bible says “In a multitude of counsel there is safety” and also “Two is better than one”.
This is now the end of quasi-fiscal activities, it is the end of non-value adding street deals, it is the end of currency burning, welcome to the world of hard work, away from super profits, back to the core business and the good values of honesty and integrity.
The bubble has been deflated and only those that will recalibrate strategically and reposition themselves will survive and progress to the next level.
I am excited about the possibility that we can now take our legitimate place in the region and ultimately on the continental and global levels.
In the last seven years we were all preoccupied by two issues: the ownership agenda and the democratic agenda. The champions and the drivers of this past process must be commended for their tenacity, resilience and resoluteness.
The next agendas are well defined and in front of us:-political stability and economic prosperity. In order for the mother (country) to deliver the child (success/prosperity) we need leadership that is equally resolute, fully committed and hardworking as was in the last phase.
This new responsibility and agenda falls squarely on the shoulders of those in the 30 to 60 year age bracket, who up to now have either been bystanders or opportunists. This age group must now stand up and be counted so that they can create their own legacy and create the heritage for the next generation.
The 60 years and over have created an iconic legacy that will find its legitimate place in national, continental and global pages of history.
Being a nation that boasts of the quality of its people, that is our exceptional education and peaceful cultural heritage, the world now expects us to deliver prosperity for our own benefit, for the benefit of our neighbours and the world at large.
Hopefully your medical aid society will be there to be counted.

– David Govere is the president of the Employers Confederation of Zimbabwe. This paper was delivered to the Association of Health Care Funders of Zimbabwe at the occasion of their AGM in Harare.