The main findings of the district pilot project of labour‐intensive road construction and maintenance in Botswana and the implications for similar projects in South Africa

Unemployment has been identified as one of the main problems confronting South Africa. Recently, in order to improve rural infrastructure and create employment, several pilot projects of rural road construction have been initiated in South Africa. In such a context it is considered that attention should be drawn to a pilot project carried out some time ago in Botswana to examine the potential of labour‐intensive methods in the construction and maintenance of rural roads.

The main conclusion of the pilot project was that labour‐intensive methods were viable, although attention had to be paid to several critical factors. In 1982, following its evaluation of the pilot project, the Government of Botswana decided that over the next five years the technical and organisational methods developed during the pilot project should be replicated throughout Botswana.

After a brief survey of the background to the project, the paper summarises several important features of the pilot project and its main findings. The paper closes with some comments on the implications of this pilot project for those currently underway in South Africa.     

Central sterile supply productivity and time study analysis

As a result of the productivity study in both areas, the following objectives can be attained: Ascertain the number of FTEs necessary for staffing requirements. Determine the efficiency level in daily production of trays and sets. Develop standards to measure the overall effectiveness in delivering service. Although this represents a quantitative analysis of the productivity within a CSS department, it is important not to forget the human element in the relationship between CSS and OR employees.     

Measuring cost savings in the operating room: a matter of FOCUS (follow-through, obsolescence, control, utilization, standardization)

In summary, changes came slowly at first in the OR. The biggest inventory reduction came about a year after the effort had begun. It would seem that tackling obsolescence, standardizing products, etc. would give an initial "big chunk" savings, with small amounts coming later as inventories are lowered. What we expected did not occur, due to the inherent nature of practices and what was customarily being used. For example, previously, some equipment purchases were paid for by purchasing product, which resulted in long-term commitments and high supply costs. The OR at times seemed more like a process of managing change, not just supplies. FOCUS is a daily process. How many times can you afford to overlook this process? How often are the mistakes of the past repeated? In review, we suggest this simple outline: Follow-through (review each case from start to finish), Obsolescence (schedule inventories every six months), Control (achieve inventory management by adjusting PAR levels to needs), Utilization (utilize product/equipment with your control), and Standardization (standardize products and measure results).     

L'approccio di B. De Finetti per la riassicurazione individuale proporzionale. Modelli semplificati e considerazioni operative

Viene studiato il problema della determinazione della strategia riassicurativa ottima in caso di riassicurazione individuale proporzionale, secondo l'approccio media-varianza. In particolare si analizzano alcuni modelli semplificati nei quali si raggruppano le polizze di un portafoglio sulla base di certe caratteristiche di omogeneità; ciò consente di ridurre in maniera sensibile la complessità dei calcoli previsti nella procedura generale. Completano il lavoro considerazioni di carattere operativo.

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Summary The optimal reinsurance strategy for the proportional reinsurance problem in a meanvariance framework is investigated. In order to simplify the algorithmic complexity, simple models based on the aggregation of portfolio policies are studied. Some operational remarks are added.

     

A hospital without walls

Pacific Presbyterian Medical Center has chalked up an impressive string of successes. What's ahead? A $20 million cancer center.