Document Abstract
Published:
1 Sep 2010
Child health and the missing link: working with the private sector for better results
How to maximise the potential of the private sector to improve child health outcomes
This paper, published by the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, is a draft for discussion on the role of the private sector in the delivery of health services and products in low- and middle-income countries, specifically in the area of child health.
The underlying assumption in this paper is that an increased understanding of the scale and scope of the private sector and its potential to contribute to improved health outcomes will inform donors’ funding and programming priorities as they work with national policy makers and other partners to design, implement and monitor programs in the health sector.
The authors note that the private sector is a considerable source of care for children in low- and middle-income countries, including for the poor, and that the private sector is very diverse, including actors such as hospitals, clinics, individual doctors, pharmacies, drug vendors, traditional practitioners, NGOs, and producers and distributors of commodities. However, the authors note that child health programmes have for the most part not addressed this reality, at least not in a systematic and sustainable manner. As a result, the authors argue that the potential of the private sector to contribute to improved child health outcomes remains untapped and the opportunity to work with the private sector to ensure that it provides effective and responsible health care for children has not been fully realised.
Cognisant that the reasons why the private sector has not been engaged in child health programmes are systemic with most programmes relying on a public sector model that focuses on inputs and outputs rather than outcomes, the authors highlight a range of strategies that are emerging as powerful instruments to expand access (e.g. contracting) and improve quality (e.g. accreditation, and training combined with other supports and incentives).
In conclusion, the authors argue that few strategies except for contracting have been scaled up to a national or regional level, and sustainability, especially with regard to government commitment remains unclear. In light of this, the authors suggest that promising strategies should be taken to scale and that they should be complemented by investments in the health system and in governments’ stewardship functions. Also, the authors recommend that monitoring and evaluation should be an integral component of any efforts to engage the private sector.
The underlying assumption in this paper is that an increased understanding of the scale and scope of the private sector and its potential to contribute to improved health outcomes will inform donors’ funding and programming priorities as they work with national policy makers and other partners to design, implement and monitor programs in the health sector.
The authors note that the private sector is a considerable source of care for children in low- and middle-income countries, including for the poor, and that the private sector is very diverse, including actors such as hospitals, clinics, individual doctors, pharmacies, drug vendors, traditional practitioners, NGOs, and producers and distributors of commodities. However, the authors note that child health programmes have for the most part not addressed this reality, at least not in a systematic and sustainable manner. As a result, the authors argue that the potential of the private sector to contribute to improved child health outcomes remains untapped and the opportunity to work with the private sector to ensure that it provides effective and responsible health care for children has not been fully realised.
Cognisant that the reasons why the private sector has not been engaged in child health programmes are systemic with most programmes relying on a public sector model that focuses on inputs and outputs rather than outcomes, the authors highlight a range of strategies that are emerging as powerful instruments to expand access (e.g. contracting) and improve quality (e.g. accreditation, and training combined with other supports and incentives).
In conclusion, the authors argue that few strategies except for contracting have been scaled up to a national or regional level, and sustainability, especially with regard to government commitment remains unclear. In light of this, the authors suggest that promising strategies should be taken to scale and that they should be complemented by investments in the health system and in governments’ stewardship functions. Also, the authors recommend that monitoring and evaluation should be an integral component of any efforts to engage the private sector.
