MARIAZIEKENHUIS

The challenge:

In 2018, a hospital in the Belgian province of Limburg - the Mariaziekenhuis, merged with a center specialized in revalidation and multiple-sclerosis. The integration of both entities did not happen as smoothly as planned. An internal job satisfaction poll confirmed a strong feeling of resentment amongst the Revalidation Center staff due to their loss of autonomy and ability to decide their future. While a focus on increased efficiency and productivity by a new management team also led to a loss of direction and purpose at Mariaziekenhuis.

The mandate was to assess how both cultures complement and reinforce each other and, on this basis, crystallize a common mission, vision, and strategic objectives that would inject a joint sense of purpose and meaning in the combined organization.

What transpired:

That both organizations attach as much importance to the mental, social and physical well-being of patients and staff, fueled by a deeply rooted Christian inspiration. When the two organizations are navigating with agility, they succeed in beautifully embracing and reconciling the need to both cure and care for patients by creating the conditions for patients to actively participate in their own healing and recovery.

In a sector obsessed by performance which has led to increasingly demotivated and disengaged staff, Mariaziekenhuis and the Revalidation Center are able to deliver a truly sustainable patient-centric healthcare model for the future that genuinely reflects the definition Dr. Andrija Štampar (1888-1958) gave of health in 1926: “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease.”

The result:

After presenting the audit’s conclusions to the staff of both institutions, they recognized a shared strength: their care is defined by deep expertise and a unique culture of togetherness and social solidarity. This recognition sparked a renewed sense of purpose, rooted in common values and a unifying mission.