Leading the way in Timor-Leste
24 Dec 2016
23 December 2016
As Country Manager Dave’s role is to oversee and facilitate the delivery of the St John of God Social Outreach Development Programs in Timor-Leste. He is responsible for engaging with Timorese partners such as the HNGV Executive, Ministry of Health and other INGOs working in the health sector.
“I work closely with our caregivers in Timor-Leste and Australia to ensure we are continuing to build capacity among our Timorese colleagues in the country’s hospitals and laboratories, with our main focus being at the National Hospital in Dili,” said Dave.
Looking ahead he is excited to see the impact of new project management and change management frameworks.
“2017 will be our first full year with the frameworks in place. We hope that they will create a better structure to engage our Timorese colleagues, and allow us to drive improved sponsorship from key personnel within the hospitals and laboratories and encourage better healthcare practices.”
Ben joined the team as an Intensive Care Nurse Specialist in 2012 and has seen substantial change during this time.
“I have been privileged to see significant improvements in nursing practice including the survival of ventilated patients. More recently I have been involved in the training and assessment of graduate nurses at HNGV, and the appointment and up skilling of Timorese nurse educators across all 14 hospital departments,” said Ben.
As NDP Manager Ben will have two main areas of focus. The first is to provide leadership to the expatriate and Timorese caregivers in the Program as they mentor Timorese staff and implement a range of projects in clinical areas; and the second will be to work directly with the HNGV Director of Nursing and Midwifery and 230 nursing staff to implement the hospital's annual nursing plan.
“Clinical work at HNGV is extremely challenging for all caregivers and this role is vital in ensuring that caregivers are supported and feel their work is meaningful and contributes to the improvement of patient care.”