Dr Abri Bezuidenhout: The tech-savvy surgeon

As a general surgeon specialising in gastrointestinal care, I’ve always been committed to advancing my clinical skills and the ways I deliver healthcare. Having studied and worked all over South Africa – I did my pregrad in Bloemfontein, postgrad in Pretoria, followed by a traveling fellowship through the University of Cape Town – I’ve been exposed to many different approaches to healthcare. I think that this exposure has shaped my vision for what a medical practice can be. 

Henley’s helped me take that vision a step further. I encountered Henley Business School Africa at a conference. I heard Peter Cruse speak, and it was just amazing. He and I chatted afterward, and he told me about the Futureproof Your Healthcare Practice programme.

The course has changed the way I think about medical practice. Perhaps the most significant exercise was when we had to draw up a plan for our practice and describe how we’d implement technological and digital changes. This plan helps you see the nitty-gritty details you might not have considered before. That’s just one task, but the entire programme has helped me shift my approach to my work: now, I’m always stepping back, seeking different, modern solutions to problems I’ve solved in other ways before.

When we’re studying to be doctors, we don’t learn enough about the technological and business aspects of medicine. I think that needs to change. Tech is changing things from the ground up: I remember when, over a decade ago, my practice shifted from paper files to digital records. The shift itself may have been hard work, but it’s saved so much time in the long run. There are still so many doctors out there who aren’t familiar with tools that’ll benefit both them and their patients. 

I think that programmes like these do need to put more of a focus on artificial intelligence. AI can be seen as something that takes the human aspect out of work, but for me, it honestly does the opposite. I have a very high-volume practice, and with such a large throughput, you risk your patients feeling like they have a short contact period with you. This is a problem because, for many patients, surgery is a significant, emotional event. Tech innovations – even something as simple as digital records – mean that when I get in the room, I already know everything there is to know about the patient. I can then spend more time doing what I’m supposed to do, which is, essentially, to provide care.

As a surgeon, teacher, and student, I’m reinventing myself every year. It’s an organic process. Each role I take influences the others down the line. For example, I first attended the conference where I encountered Henley as a surgeon. Then I attended Henley as a student. Now I teach on Henley’s Futureproof Your Healthcare Practice programme. And some people taking my courses – whether through Henley or my post at Steve Biko Academic Hospital – refer patients to my surgery. I enjoy all the roles I have.

One constant, though, is my family. I have a wife and three kids, and I’m very fortunate that at this stage of my career I’m able to spend so much time with them. Ten years ago I was working myself to death. But work-life balance isn’t a problem anymore. That’s thanks to everything I’ve learned, everything I’ve implemented. Tech has, funnily enough, allowed me to put people first.

Quick Q&A: The Future of Healthcare and Technology 

Having worked and studied across South Africa, my exposure to various approaches to medicine has shown me that technology is a catalyst for change. The shift from paper to digital records over a decade ago, though difficult, ultimately saved valuable time. This experience reinforced my belief that tech, when implemented effectively, allows a practice to thrive.

The programme helped me see a medical practice not just as a clinical space, but as a dynamic business. A key exercise involved creating a plan for implementing digital changes, which made me consider new solutions I hadn't thought of before. Now, I always step back to seek out modern solutions to problems, which has fundamentally shifted my approach.

Technology can do the opposite of taking the human aspect out of care. In a high-volume practice like mine, I risk patients feeling like they have a short contact period with me. Tools like digital records ensure that when I enter the room, I already have all the patient's information. This frees up time to provide what patients need most: my undivided attention and emotional support.