Number of public/private partnerships established or brokered that lead to health systems strengthening

Definition:

The number of alliances or partnerships formed during the past year (or specific time period) between the public health sector of a country (or designated region) and the private sector (PS) with the purpose of expanding PS provision of health services including family planning (FP) products and services.

Public/private partnerships are defined as any formal collaboration between the PS and the public sector at any level (national, local, international donor agencies, and bilateral government donors) designed to jointly regulate, finance, or implement the delivery of services. Health system strengthening is defined as building capacity in key health system components to achieve more equitable and sustained improvements in services and outcomes (Abt, 2011).

The private sector is defined as all the providers, suppliers, and ancillary and support services that lie outside the public sector. These include commercial or for-profit entities, franchises, multinational corporations, non-profit organizations, community groups, informal vendors, and private providers, such as doctors, pharmacies, and hospital staff (Armand et al., 2007).

This indicator is calculated as:

Total number of documented public/private alliances or partnerships formed to expand PS provision of FP services in a country or designated area during the past year (or other specified time period).

This indicator is in the section for Strengthening private sector systems in the updated Strengthening Health Outcomes though the Private Sector (SHOPS) Project Performance Monitoring Plan (Abt, 2011). For further details on this and related indicators from the SHOPS project, see Abt (2011); Abt (2009); Abt (2005); and Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (2009).

Data Requirement(s):

Reviews of project records, recorded agreements, meeting notes and trip reports among the ministry of health (MOH), donor agencies, and public and private sector agencies and providers. The data can be disaggregated by the types of PS providers involved and the specific health services for which the alliances have been made (e.g., FP, maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS).

Data Source(s):

MOH records and agreements; project reports; meeting minutes; trip reports

Purpose:

This indicator measures government commitment to active collaboration with PS partners, donors, and cooperating agencies to enhance PS involvement in providing healthcare services. Supportive policies and alliances for involving the PS can help relieve some of the constraints challenging the public sector (e.g., overburdened staff and weak distribution channels) and increase access to and sustainability of health services, often for underserved populations. The public sector is faced with the challenge of how to balance regulations, policies, and quality control, while simultaneously fostering conditions and alliances that encourage private sector provision of health and FP services and products. This indicator can provide baseline information and track trends in government and public/private alliances for provision of health services. Public/private partnerships are considered vital for achieving the health-related Millennium Development Goals to #4 reduce child mortality; #5 improve maternal health; and #6 combat HIV/AIDS, as well as contributing to #8 a global partnership for development.

Issue(s):

The enumeration of this indicator, particularly evidence that public-private alliances have been set-up and are functioning, may require extensive reviews of government and public-private records, reports, and agreements. While the indicator assesses the number of alliances, it does not measure the quality or success of these partnerships in facilitating PS expansion of PS.

Keywords:

policy, private sector

References:

Abt Associates, 2005, Performance Monitoring Indicators for the Private Sector Program (PSP), with Explanatory Notes. Bethesda, MD: Abt Associates, Inc. https://www.shopsplusproject.org/sites/default/files/resources/1081_file_PSP_Perfomance_Monitoring_Indicators_April_1_2005.pdf

Abt Associates, 2009, Strengthening Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Project: Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP), Year 1. Bethesda: MD: ABT Asociates, Inc.

Abt Associates, 2011, Updated SHOPS Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP), Bethesda: MD: ABT Asociates, Inc.

Armand F., O’Hanlon B., McEuen M., Kolyada L., and Levin L. March 2007. Private Sector Contribution to Family Planning and Contraceptive Security in the Europe and Eurasia Region. Bethesda, MD: Private Sector Partnerships-One project, Abt Associates Inc.

Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition, 2009, Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition: Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (2007-2015), Brussels: RHSC.

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Policy Environment

Filed under: Family Planning, FP, FP/RH, Indicators, policy, private sector, Reproductive Health, RH