Dr Denisha Jairam-Owthar – Group CIO for the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS)

To address this chasm, the Council of Medical Schemes (CMS) recently appointed Dr Denisha Jairam-Owthar as its Group CIO. She is a technologist and industry-leader who embraces and thrives on a challenge. Jairam-Owthar is recognised locally and internationally for having brought about impactful positive technological change throughout her career and the South African healthcare arena looks set to be no career exception. She has stepped into a role that goes beyond the optimal application of technology, which plays a pivotal role to the CMS, but is also one of educating, driving awareness and preparing the public and private sector for equitable citizen healthcare.

“I knew when I walked into this role that I was becoming part of one of the most eventful times for the South African healthcare industry,” says Jairam-Owthar. “I’m fortunate and grateful that the importance and value of applying technology is recognised at the CMS’s uppermost levels. “Part of the strategy includes more streamlining of the multiple platforms and aligning them to create intelligent data. Plus, we need improved analytics platforms to share information with the medical community. Data enables change and it’s vital that we share these trends validated by data, that shows what is being done in all reaches of the country, especially in terms of examples of improvements to demonstrate how the medical sector can become more citizen-centric.”

This role is going to require the leadership skills and style Jairam-Owthar has accumulated over her career and her advice to future technology leaders is: “Leaders need to be decisive and brave yet diplomatic and professional in their approach to harness these principles progressively for the best outcomes. Part of my role will also involve engaging both the public and private sectors and getting their buy-in, particularly about the value the National Health Insurance (NHI) will bring to citizens.

“We need more discussion opportunities for the various environments within healthcare to meet, share knowledge and collaborate in order to prepare and embrace for the very possible ‘coming new dawn’. “Companies like MTN are vital to closing the healthcare gap, especially when considering the need to connect those in rural communities with the expertise found in major economic centres.”

Asked her position on how economic headwinds and socio-demographic pressures could impact on CMS plans, Dr Jairam-Owthar says that South Africa has overcome adversity so many times before and this very South African spirit can positively contribute to healthcare. “Now is the time for South Africans to get involved in taking healthcare forward, be courageous and curious because of what is at stake for our future generations.

“We cannot afford to let just the thought of what lies ahead and how big it is, to overwhelm us as South Africans. Change happens in cumulative small steps that culminate over time into something big. In this role, I know that I can directly and indirectly positively impact healthcare.

“ What keeps me up at night is my excitement in being in such a purposeled role of impacting healthcare in SA. “I am utterly excited and balancing my own pace versus the pace of what the journey is, keeps me on the pulse of moving progressively forward, even it is inch by inch at a time.”

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