Publication: Private Sector Engagement in Public Health Systems
Date
2022-09
ISSN
Published
2022-09
Author(s)
Cortez, Rafael
Quinlan-Davidson, Meaghen
Abstract
The aim of the literature review was
to provide evidence on private health sector engagement
globally, with a specific focus on the South Caucasus. The
analysis focused on private sector engagement through the
lens of policy dialogue, information sharing, regulation,
financing, and private sector provision, including
performance and private sector engagement modalities.
Results showed that the private sector in Armenia,
Azerbaijan, and Georgia is heterogenous. Regulation aimed to
increase health coverage with quality services and increase
the institutional capacity of the Ministries of Health to
collect and analyze data to know better how the private
health sector operates and promote private-public
partnership to respond to public health challenges. The
creation of an autonomous health superintendence would help
improve the performance of the private sector: overseeing
and supervising the service delivery of private providers
and ensuring a strong regulatory environment within
countries with high levels of out-of-pocket payments. This
entity should enforce transparent behaviors of doctor
practices, licensing of physicians, and accreditation of
private providers. In addition, the South Caucasus countries
can adopt a mix of payment systems with private providers
and establish arrangements that ensure a strong
private-public partnership (PPP) in health through
well-defined contracts. Health facilities with management
autonomy should also ensure quality-based purchasing. PPPs
would be an optimal way for the South Caucasus to engage
with the private sector. Political will, legislative
environments and regulatory frameworks, transparency, public
sector capacity, complete and flexible contracts, and broad
stakeholder engagement are essential conditions to expand
PPPs. Learning from best practices globally and expanding
research on how health systems create and regulate mixed
public-private services are also essential to improve
quality, equity, and efficiency of these systems, as
countries work to achieve universal health coverage.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“Cortez, Rafael; Quinlan-Davidson, Meaghen. 2022. Private Sector Engagement in Public Health Systems. Health, Nutrition, and Population (HNP) Discussion Paper;September 2022. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/38231 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”