A medical doctor who means business

Despite an impressive string of medical degrees and postgraduate certificates, Sabelo Xaba felt something was missing when he started out as a general practitioner. That something was leadership know-how.

“As a medical doctor, more than 90% of the time you are expected to play a leadership role yet you are thrust into the world of leadership without preparation. Most of us start our practices without any knowledge whatsoever.”

This was certainly Dr Xaba’s experience when he founded the eMalahleni Medical Centre, a family practice in Mpumalanga, 11 years ago.

“Running a practice has a lot to do with how you manage staff, engage with stakeholders, set prices and market yourself. There is competition and you have to be able to assess the market and do better,” he says. “But if you go in without business or leadership experience, you second-guess yourself and you are not confident in certain things. Speaking for myself, I realised I had a lot of gaps.”

This was despite his exceptional healthcare qualifications, which include his MBBCh degree, a master’s degree in Medical Pharmacology, a Postgraduate Diploma in HIV Management and a Postgraduate Diploma in Occupational Health.

Filling the leadership gaps

Determined to fill those gaps in his knowledge, he enrolled for an MBL with the Unisa School of Business Leadership in 2015. “Then when the SBL introduced the new MBA in 2016, I decided to jump ship and do the MBA instead,” says Dr Xaba. “It meant I didn’t have to attend lectures or be part of a syndicate group, which suited me because my performance was completely dependent on myself and no one else.”

Switching to the MBA also meant he could manage his time better, a major factor given that he lives in Pretoria, has a wife and two children (the youngest is only five months old) and commutes daily to the medical centre in eMalahleni. “I often woke up at 3 am to do my MBA work and then would leave at 6 am for work, where there were 40 patients a day to see.”

Finally, he completed his coursework and thesis – on corporate governance in private hospitals – in 2017 and graduated in June 2018.

Was it all worth it in the end?

“Absolutely,” says Dr Xaba. “Doing my MBA has given me a whole lot of confidence when I engage with clients such as accountants and mining industry representatives. My language is completely changed – it is a lot clearer – and I am positioning myself in a way that really differentiates me. Before, I was a doctor; I treated patients and focused on clinical issues. Now I look at the services and image that we portray as a centre and what we can do to be more competitive.”

The results of this new approach are striking. The medical centre has grown into a one-stop healthcare facility with seven healthcare professionals, including a pharmacist, radiographer, audiologist, optometrist and dentist. “We also do clinical research, work in partnership with NGOs on services such as male circumcision, and provide primary healthcare for the insured and uninsured,” Dr Xaba says.

“Prior to my MBA, I wouldn’t even have thought of upscaling to that level. I feel that anybody in any field could benefit a great deal from an MBA. It really opens up your eyes and makes you think broadly.”