Health Care Systems Sustainability: The role of Health Care Management Education and Continuing Professional Development in Building a Sustainable Healthcare System

It comes as no surprise that healthcare leaders today face unprecedented challenges. Some are immediate. Others are long-term. Many are interrelated. All are complex. None of them are small, as they include financial sustainability, mission, quality and patient safety, rapidly advancing technology, changing consumer expectations, new market entrants, healthcare inequities, and more regulation. And one challenge tops that list: workforce shortages. Although many individuals continue to be drawn to healthcare, the numbers are insufficient to meet increasing demand. But there is one more challenge which even tops this issue. And that is the continuing and growing need for capable and competent leaders and leadership in the world’s most complex industry sector – healthcare. Aiming for excellence in health are words that adorn our organisation’s’ mission statements and list of values. But is there something that can make the difference in outcomes for health at the patient level, at a system level, and at a population level? And if there is, can we identify what makes the difference, amplify it and exploit it to the world? My thesis is the one thing that will make the difference is the level of competence and capability of the leaders and leadership. What does this look like? What should we be doing to grow it and develop it?