The role of the private sector in delivering essential packages of health services
Lessons from country experiences
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21879423 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Sameen Siddiqi (0000-0001-8289-0964, Aga Khan University, corresponding author), Wafa Aftab (0000-0001-5040-5215, Aga Khan University), A Venkat Raman (0000-0001-5473-8746, University of Delhi), Agnès Soucat (0000-0002-7779-8079, Agence française de développement), Ala Alwan (0009-0006-7054-3328, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 8 |
| Issue | Suppl 1 |
| Pages | e010742 |
| Publication date | 2023-01-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMJ Global Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2059-7908 • E-ISSN: 2059-7908 |
| Publisher | BMJ (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-010742 |
| PMID | 36657810 |
| OpenAlex | W4317434351 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 29 |
Many countries are adopting essential packages of health services (EPHS) to implement universal health coverage (UHC), which are mostly financed and delivered by the public sector, while the potential role of the private health sector (PHS) remains untapped. Currently, many low-income and lower middle-income countries (LLMICs) have devised EPHS; however, guidance on translating these packages into quality, accessible and affordable services is limited. This paper explores the role of PHS in achieving UHC, identifies key concerns and presents the experience of the Diseases Control Priorities 3 Country Translation project in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Zanzibar. There are key challenges to engagement of the PHS, which include the complexity and heterogeneity of private providers, their operation in isolation of the health system, limitations of population coverage and equity when left to PHS’s own choices, and higher overall cost of care for privately delivered services. Irrespective of the strategies employed to involve the PHS in delivering EPHS, it is necessary to identify private providers in terms of their characteristics and contribution, and their response to regulatory tools and incentives. Strategies for regulating private providers include better statutory control to prevent unlicensed practice, self-regulation by professional bodies to maintain standards of practice and accreditation of large private hospitals and chains. Potentially, purchasing delivery of essential services by engaging private providers can be an effective ‘regulatory approach’ to modify provider behaviour. Despite existing experience, more research is needed to better explore and operationalise the role of PHS in implementing EPHS in LLMICs
Business · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental health · Health care · Incentive · Political science · Population · Private sector · Public economics · Public sector · Service provider · Statutory law · Global Maternal and Child Health · Healthcare Policy and Management · Healthcare Systems and Reforms · Medicine · Marketing
Mapping the Private Healthcare Sector in Riyadh Region
Spatial inequity index for essential facility access at building-level in highly dense urban areas
Co-evolution of private and public hospitals
How to better engage the private sector in health service delivery in Africa
Designing an evidence-informed package of essential health services for Universal Health Coverage
Essential packages of health services in low-income and lower-middle-income countries
The governance behaviours
Country readiness and prerequisites for successful design and transition to implementation of essential packages of health services
Building implementable packages for universal health coverage
Unwrapping the Global Financing Facility
An assessment of progress towards universal health coverage in Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS)
What is the private sector? Understanding private provision in the health systems of low-income and middle-income countries
Monitoring and evaluating the implementation of essential packages of health services
Using costing to facilitate policy making towards Universal Health Coverage
Country readiness and prerequisites for successful design and transition to implementation of essential packages of health services
Decision-making processes for essential packages of health services
Building implementable packages for universal health coverage
From Universal Health Coverage services packages to budget appropriation
Value innovation
Private sector, for-profit health providers in low and middle income countries
Roundtable discussion
Do essential service packages benefit the poor? Preliminary evidence from Bangladesh
Afghanistan's Basic Package of Health Services
Are social franchises contributing to universal access to reproductive health services in low-income countries
| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 3,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2025 (3) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 8 |