Having been appointed as Public Relations Director of Get Well hospital, below is what I would do during the first year of my appointment divided into three periods of four months each.
FIRST PERIOD
In the first period, I will venture into research work on the perceptions and attitudes of the general public, which is the hospital’s target audience towards the institution. For public relations to be an effective process, research should always be the starting point. This is so, because every course of action calls for substantiation of facts and opinion assessment among others. Research also helps us to avoid spending on issues that do not exist.
Although Mr. Jack Mwansa, the chief hospital administrator, has attributed the unproductivity of Get Well to its location in a high crime area, there is a possibility that the problem may be due to other factors which may, among others, include high user fees and poor services. If the research indicates that for sure people are shunning the hospital due to crime in the area, I would suggest to management that security measures are put in place both at the hospital premises and possibly in the entire township to reduce crime.
Since the hospital is located in a high crime area, the next programme would be to protect the hospital premises. And below is an outline of specific tasks:
1) Improve security within and outside the hospital by:
Engaging a security firm such as Pre-Secure or Mint Master to secure the hospital. Additionally, management will be advised on the need for the installation of security alarms as well as an electric fence around the hospital premises.
2) Putting measures to reduce crime in the whole township by:
Encouraging members of the community to form a neighbourhood watch to be making patrols in the area. This would make the community become more security conscious.
The hospital would also collaborate with the police force and build capacity for patrols. Because transport is usually one of the major setbacks for community police in the country, I would therefore ask management to avail one of the hospital vehicles to help in police patrols in and around Matero. In the same way, Get Well Hospital would ask the residents through their neighbourhood watch to lend their vehicles to their neighbourhood watch for the benefit of everyone in the township.
I would also embark on a massive use of a public address system and staged events to sensitise the community on being security conscious. Messages would be those informing the community to report to the police or neighbourhood watch of any suspicious behaviour.
Furthermore, members of the community would be encouraged to give tip-offs to relevant authorities about crime to help track down criminals.
My public relations department would also encourage business houses in the community to be rewarding those who supply tip-offs leading to the arrest of suspected criminals. This would encourage people not to conceal information on the whereabouts of suspected criminals.
The department would also initiate staged events in the community as a campaign to improve security in Matero. During such events, members of the community would also be encouraged to participate in plays that depict the benefits of them coming together to curb crime in the area.
3) Security for employees
In order to ensure security for employees, transport would be provided to ferry members of staff to and from work.
Senior members of staff like doctors would be given car loans to help them purchase vehicles to transport them as they move from their residences to the hospital and vice versa. For those who would not want car loans, they would be provided with separate transportation from the junior and general members of staff. Apart from being a security measure, it can be a way of attracting more physicians to the hospital.
SECOND PERIOD
The second period will focus on evaluating the effectiveness of the security measures put in place in the first period. This period would also use the findings of the previous research in order to come up with appropriate measures to improve the business ventures and image of the hospital.
Getting the hospital known to the public through positive publicity would be the other aspect that the second period will carter. For example, offering free services on particular days like World Breast Cancer Day in order to attract the media. Such opportunities can be utilised in selling the kind of services the hospital offers.
In an event that crime does not seem to have gone down in the township, my department would seek other methods aimed at reducing crime levels. Since crime in the community is the most likely cause of fear in people seeking health services at Get Well Hospital, there would be need to intensify security within and outside the hospital premises continuously.
And if our evaluation shows that the crime levels in the community have gone down, my department would be engaged in vigorous publicity to inform the public of the development. Everything possible would also be done to build a reputable image of the hospital contrary to past perceptions people may have about the township in general and the hospital in particular. For effective publicity, the following measures would be embarked on:
Television Documentary
The documentary would among others show the security measures that have been put in place at the hospital premises. For example, the electric fence and alarm systems installed and even guards by the entrance into the hospital grounds and elsewhere.
Interviews with doctors and nurses satisfied with high quality services offered at the hospital would also be shown.
Patients impressed with both security and health services would also be included.
Apart from that, I and other workers at the hospital such as doctors and nurses would also be featured in the documentary. In this case they would be talking about why the hospital decided to engage in fighting crime in the area. The emphasis would be that the hospital is not only concerned about the health but also the general welfare of the community.
The vehicle/s used for patrolling the area would also be shown in the documentary.
Interviews with Matero residents appreciating the measures put in place by the hospital in response to the problem of crime would also be part of the documentary.
Get Well Hospital’s outstanding speech clinic would be highlighted in the documentary. Parents with children who have speech problems would be encouraged to bring their children to the clinic to be attended to by the best speech therapists that the hospital has.
The only teen alcoholism programme in the country would be another prominent feature in the documentary. This would be one of the ways of selling out this exceptional service to the public. Reformed alcoholics would be featured testifying about their previous and current social lives and how Get Well has helped them change their lives for the better.
The scenery view of the location and actual structures of the newly built high-rise building would not be left out. This has the benefit of attracting prospective physicians as management is willing to give them office suites on the top floors of the tower for rent.
Press Releases
As a way of free publicity, the public relations department would strategically structure press releases that will show trends on how the hospital has achieved the handling of alcoholism related issues and statistics of people attended to. Not least, new developments and periodical free medical check-ups would also be publicised with the help of such releases.
Advertisements
These would be used on television, radio, and newspapers to directly sell to the public the health services offered by the hospital. Television advertisements would be considered ideal to advertise locations and services due to the audio-visual aspect involved and makes the adverts more appealing to the potential clients.
Feature articles
Another publicity strategy would be the use of feature stories. These feature stories would specifically show the decline of crime in Matero. This would be likely to be attributed to the efforts put in place by Get Well Hospital management in conjunction with police and the community. Details of previous crime rates compared with current ones in terms of percentages would make interesting and educative readership. Quotes from neighbourhood watch representatives, patients at the hospital, a doctor or nurse, public relations personnel and so on would be stressed to highlight the benefits of the security measures both within and outside the hospital premises as a matter of health concern as well as having resulted in reduced crime rates in the entire township.
Live television presentations.
Here, the hospital would sponsor a radio programme, for example a ‘Health Line’ where one of our doctors would be featured to answer some questions relating to health problems from listeners. And because the public would associate the doctor to Get Well Hospital, patients will most likely go to our hospital for their health problems. Talk shows would also be used to reinforce the publicity efforts of documentaries, press releases and advertisements. And during breaks, we would slot in commercials about Get Well Hospital.
THIRD PERIOD
After employing the above various publicity efforts, my department would evaluate whether the public would have changed their attitudes towards the hospital and its services. That would mean observing the customer database or number of patients coming to the hospital and compare these with previous trends to see if there are any significant changes. I would also ascertain if health personnel have started applying or have been employed at Get Well, a hospital whose patients’ and physician’s low turn out seem to have worried the Chief Administrator just when I was appointed over half a year ago.
If there have been positive responses and positive change of attitudes towards the hospital in the areas highlighted, the next step would be to:
Do more in terms of social responsibility for the community
i. One way is by periodically offering free medical check-ups to the residents of Matero and others on days like the world tuberculosis day.
ii. Free medical treatment for one selected orphanage once every month throughout the year.
iii. Subsidising medical fees to children below the age of 7 and elderly people over 70 years.
iv. Offering incentives such as over-time allowances to doctors as well as offering annual awards for best performing physicians.
v. Assisting the local council in garbage collection as it poses a health hazard both to the environment and human settlement.
vi. A proposed budget for these suggested social responsibility activities will be presented to management for consideration. Once and if approved the programme will be rolled out and be implemented diligently to win public goodwill and favour, a factor which will increase the hospital’s clientele.
A tabulation of the proposed budget is given below.
BUDGET
FIRST PERIOD
Research
FIRST PERIOD
In the first period, I will venture into research work on the perceptions and attitudes of the general public, which is the hospital’s target audience towards the institution. For public relations to be an effective process, research should always be the starting point. This is so, because every course of action calls for substantiation of facts and opinion assessment among others. Research also helps us to avoid spending on issues that do not exist.
Although Mr. Jack Mwansa, the chief hospital administrator, has attributed the unproductivity of Get Well to its location in a high crime area, there is a possibility that the problem may be due to other factors which may, among others, include high user fees and poor services. If the research indicates that for sure people are shunning the hospital due to crime in the area, I would suggest to management that security measures are put in place both at the hospital premises and possibly in the entire township to reduce crime.
Since the hospital is located in a high crime area, the next programme would be to protect the hospital premises. And below is an outline of specific tasks:
1) Improve security within and outside the hospital by:
Engaging a security firm such as Pre-Secure or Mint Master to secure the hospital. Additionally, management will be advised on the need for the installation of security alarms as well as an electric fence around the hospital premises.
2) Putting measures to reduce crime in the whole township by:
Encouraging members of the community to form a neighbourhood watch to be making patrols in the area. This would make the community become more security conscious.
The hospital would also collaborate with the police force and build capacity for patrols. Because transport is usually one of the major setbacks for community police in the country, I would therefore ask management to avail one of the hospital vehicles to help in police patrols in and around Matero. In the same way, Get Well Hospital would ask the residents through their neighbourhood watch to lend their vehicles to their neighbourhood watch for the benefit of everyone in the township.
I would also embark on a massive use of a public address system and staged events to sensitise the community on being security conscious. Messages would be those informing the community to report to the police or neighbourhood watch of any suspicious behaviour.
Furthermore, members of the community would be encouraged to give tip-offs to relevant authorities about crime to help track down criminals.
My public relations department would also encourage business houses in the community to be rewarding those who supply tip-offs leading to the arrest of suspected criminals. This would encourage people not to conceal information on the whereabouts of suspected criminals.
The department would also initiate staged events in the community as a campaign to improve security in Matero. During such events, members of the community would also be encouraged to participate in plays that depict the benefits of them coming together to curb crime in the area.
3) Security for employees
In order to ensure security for employees, transport would be provided to ferry members of staff to and from work.
Senior members of staff like doctors would be given car loans to help them purchase vehicles to transport them as they move from their residences to the hospital and vice versa. For those who would not want car loans, they would be provided with separate transportation from the junior and general members of staff. Apart from being a security measure, it can be a way of attracting more physicians to the hospital.
SECOND PERIOD
The second period will focus on evaluating the effectiveness of the security measures put in place in the first period. This period would also use the findings of the previous research in order to come up with appropriate measures to improve the business ventures and image of the hospital.
Getting the hospital known to the public through positive publicity would be the other aspect that the second period will carter. For example, offering free services on particular days like World Breast Cancer Day in order to attract the media. Such opportunities can be utilised in selling the kind of services the hospital offers.
In an event that crime does not seem to have gone down in the township, my department would seek other methods aimed at reducing crime levels. Since crime in the community is the most likely cause of fear in people seeking health services at Get Well Hospital, there would be need to intensify security within and outside the hospital premises continuously.
And if our evaluation shows that the crime levels in the community have gone down, my department would be engaged in vigorous publicity to inform the public of the development. Everything possible would also be done to build a reputable image of the hospital contrary to past perceptions people may have about the township in general and the hospital in particular. For effective publicity, the following measures would be embarked on:
Television Documentary
The documentary would among others show the security measures that have been put in place at the hospital premises. For example, the electric fence and alarm systems installed and even guards by the entrance into the hospital grounds and elsewhere.
Interviews with doctors and nurses satisfied with high quality services offered at the hospital would also be shown.
Patients impressed with both security and health services would also be included.
Apart from that, I and other workers at the hospital such as doctors and nurses would also be featured in the documentary. In this case they would be talking about why the hospital decided to engage in fighting crime in the area. The emphasis would be that the hospital is not only concerned about the health but also the general welfare of the community.
The vehicle/s used for patrolling the area would also be shown in the documentary.
Interviews with Matero residents appreciating the measures put in place by the hospital in response to the problem of crime would also be part of the documentary.
Get Well Hospital’s outstanding speech clinic would be highlighted in the documentary. Parents with children who have speech problems would be encouraged to bring their children to the clinic to be attended to by the best speech therapists that the hospital has.
The only teen alcoholism programme in the country would be another prominent feature in the documentary. This would be one of the ways of selling out this exceptional service to the public. Reformed alcoholics would be featured testifying about their previous and current social lives and how Get Well has helped them change their lives for the better.
The scenery view of the location and actual structures of the newly built high-rise building would not be left out. This has the benefit of attracting prospective physicians as management is willing to give them office suites on the top floors of the tower for rent.
Press Releases
As a way of free publicity, the public relations department would strategically structure press releases that will show trends on how the hospital has achieved the handling of alcoholism related issues and statistics of people attended to. Not least, new developments and periodical free medical check-ups would also be publicised with the help of such releases.
Advertisements
These would be used on television, radio, and newspapers to directly sell to the public the health services offered by the hospital. Television advertisements would be considered ideal to advertise locations and services due to the audio-visual aspect involved and makes the adverts more appealing to the potential clients.
Feature articles
Another publicity strategy would be the use of feature stories. These feature stories would specifically show the decline of crime in Matero. This would be likely to be attributed to the efforts put in place by Get Well Hospital management in conjunction with police and the community. Details of previous crime rates compared with current ones in terms of percentages would make interesting and educative readership. Quotes from neighbourhood watch representatives, patients at the hospital, a doctor or nurse, public relations personnel and so on would be stressed to highlight the benefits of the security measures both within and outside the hospital premises as a matter of health concern as well as having resulted in reduced crime rates in the entire township.
Live television presentations.
Here, the hospital would sponsor a radio programme, for example a ‘Health Line’ where one of our doctors would be featured to answer some questions relating to health problems from listeners. And because the public would associate the doctor to Get Well Hospital, patients will most likely go to our hospital for their health problems. Talk shows would also be used to reinforce the publicity efforts of documentaries, press releases and advertisements. And during breaks, we would slot in commercials about Get Well Hospital.
THIRD PERIOD
After employing the above various publicity efforts, my department would evaluate whether the public would have changed their attitudes towards the hospital and its services. That would mean observing the customer database or number of patients coming to the hospital and compare these with previous trends to see if there are any significant changes. I would also ascertain if health personnel have started applying or have been employed at Get Well, a hospital whose patients’ and physician’s low turn out seem to have worried the Chief Administrator just when I was appointed over half a year ago.
If there have been positive responses and positive change of attitudes towards the hospital in the areas highlighted, the next step would be to:
Do more in terms of social responsibility for the community
i. One way is by periodically offering free medical check-ups to the residents of Matero and others on days like the world tuberculosis day.
ii. Free medical treatment for one selected orphanage once every month throughout the year.
iii. Subsidising medical fees to children below the age of 7 and elderly people over 70 years.
iv. Offering incentives such as over-time allowances to doctors as well as offering annual awards for best performing physicians.
v. Assisting the local council in garbage collection as it poses a health hazard both to the environment and human settlement.
vi. A proposed budget for these suggested social responsibility activities will be presented to management for consideration. Once and if approved the programme will be rolled out and be implemented diligently to win public goodwill and favour, a factor which will increase the hospital’s clientele.
A tabulation of the proposed budget is given below.
BUDGET
FIRST PERIOD
Research
-formal -8 million Kwacha
-informal- 1 million Kwacha
total-9 million Kwacha
total-9 million Kwacha
SECOND PERIOD
Documentary- 7 million Kwacha
TV shows - 15 million Kwacha
Features - 3 million Kwacha
Advertising 25 million Kwacha
Documentary- 7 million Kwacha
TV shows - 15 million Kwacha
Features - 3 million Kwacha
Advertising 25 million Kwacha
total 50 million kwacha
29 Million Kwacha
THIRD PERIOD
Evaluation
11 Million Kwacha
TOTAL
70 Million Kwacha
29 Million Kwacha
THIRD PERIOD
Evaluation
11 Million Kwacha
TOTAL
70 Million Kwacha
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