Public-private partnerships in primary health care: a scoping review

Abstract

Background The Astana Declaration on Primary Health Care reiterated that PHC is a cornerstone of a sustainable health system for universal health coverage (UHC) and health-related Sustainable Development Goals. It called for governments to give high priority to PHC in partnership with their public and private sector organisations and other stakeholders. Each country has a unique path towards UHC, and different models for public-private partnerships (PPPs) are possible. The goal of this paper is to examine evidence on the use of PPPs in the provision of PHC services, reported challenges and recommendations. Methods We systematically reviewed peer-reviewed studies in six databases (ScienceDirect, Ovid Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus) and supplemented it by the search of grey literature. PRISMA reporting guidelines were followed. Results Sixty-one studies were included in the final review. Results showed that most PPPs projects were conducted to increase access and to facilitate the provision of prevention and treatment services (i.e., tuberculosis, education and health promotion, malaria, and HIV/AIDS services) for certain target groups. Most projects reported challenges of providing PHC via PPPs in the starting and implementation phases. The reported challenges and recommendations on how to overcome them related to education, management, human resources, financial resources, information, and technology systems aspects. Conclusion Despite various challenges, PPPs in PHC can facilitate access to health care services, especially in remote areas. Governments should consider long-term plans and sustainable policies to start PPPs in PHC and should not ignore local needs and context.

Key recommendations to strengthen public-private partnership for adolescent health in resource constrained settings: Formative qualitative inquiry in Mongolia, Myanmar and the Philippines

“…[25] , [26] , [27] , [28] , [29] , [30] , [31] , [32] , [33] , [34] , [35] , [36] , [37] , [38] This is also consistent with approaches more globally. [39] By contrast, incentives for the public sector were often less well articulated and/ or more altruistic (improved services for adolescents), but identifying these benefits were nonetheless important to ensuring enhanced partnership.…”

How Equitable Is Health Spending On Curative Services And Institutional Delivery In Malawi? Evidence From A Quasi-Longitudinal Benefit Incidence Analysis

“…Considering that the widespread reach of the free healthcare policy was achieved through direct contracting of CHAM facilities, our ndings corroborate the already existing evidence on the importance of investing in policies that build on public-private partnerships. In contexts where the reach of public facilities is constrained, setting up such partnerships represents an essential step to ensure greater equality in both health care use and distribution of public health spending [48].…”

Public–private partnerships and physical activity: a matter of health promotion and chronic disease prevention

“…Public health has always been one of the main action focuses of PPPs (along with infrastructure, technology, services, and other fields) 23 . There are several reports on PPPs and public health, encompassing various areas (e.g., oral health 24 and obesity 25 ), levels of action (e.g., local 15 , state 16 , and global 24 ), and in many different places (e.g., the United States 16 , Canada 26 , and Africa 27 ).…”

“…In any case, a few general challenges faced by physical activity-oriented PPPs take place mainly during the starting and implementation phases, but can be extended to their whole duration. Joudyian et al 23 analyzed 61 PPPs and grouped these challenges into five categories: education/awareness, management, human resources, financial resources, and information and technology systems. While they were thought for overall primary health care PPPs, they can be contextualized to physical activity promotion.…”