Collaborative learning and co-creation as catalysts for health system strengthening
21 October 2026
Public-private partnering: DHS experiences
3 November 2026Collaborative learning and co-creation as catalysts for health system strengthening
21 October 2026Public-private partnering: DHS experiences
3 November 2026
The South African Learning Alliance for the District Health System (SALAD) features in Spotlight’s new in-depth piece, How to thaw a health system frozen in fear, by Joan van Dyk.
The piece also tackles the decades-long challenges frontline workers across the DHS face, stuck in a management orientation that prioritises compliance over transformational change. Van Dyk spoke with members of the SALAD Secretariat for the piece, including Beth Engelbrecht, Lucy Gilson and Helen Schneider. They shared how SALAD’s higher education members, in partnership with the North West Department of Health, implemented a pilot project to strengthen leadership in North West’s Rustenburg sub-district, including workplace-based training, transforming meetings into learning spaces and mentoring.
“When people see the effect of adopting different leadership processes in their relationships with colleagues, that builds its own desire to keep working differently,” explains Lucy Gilson, Emeritus Professor of Health Policy and Systems at UCT and member of the SALAD Secretariat.
The article also highlights several examples of transformative leadership from a recent SALAD webinar on leadership that enables psychological safety. The pilot and webinar reflect SALAD’s ongoing work to facilitate learning about the DHS, transform leadership approaches, and strengthen South Africa’s DHS.
To learn more:
Read the full article:
https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/10/26/how-to-thaw-a-health-system-frozen-in-fear/