Private Sector

The study sought to investigate the factors contributing to the high turnover of clinical staff at two Catholic Health Services (CHS) hospitals of Andara and Nyangana in the Kavango region of Namibia. The conceptual framework, factors related to the decision to stay in or leave rural and remote areas, was adapted from Henderson and Tulloch (2008) and guided this study. [from abstract]

Human Resource for Health production was started in Nepal in a limited way some eighty years ago and picked up a
somewhat faster pace from the 1950s as per the requirements at that time. The establishment of the Institute of Medicine
led to some diversification but it was only after 1990 that there has been a much larger involvement of the private sector
in the production of Human Resources for Health. Although a number of categories have been listed in this article, the
position of doctors, dentists and nurses has been dealt with in more detail. [from abstract]

This roundtable discussion offers diverse perspectives from a range of stakeholders - a health funder, a representative from an implementing organization, a national-level policy-maker, and an expert working in a large multi-national company - on what the future may hold for the private sector in health. [from introduction]

In an environment of limited resources, educational institutions must be creative in finding financial resources. This free eLearning course provides an overview of creative financing mechanisms designed to help a health professional education institution reach its funding goals. Participants will learn how to select, prioritize, and implement new financing mechanisms. [from publisher]

The contrast between the low proportion of tuberculosis (TB) suspects referred from private practitioners in Bali province and the high volume of TB suspects seeking care at private practices suggests problems with TB suspect referral from private practitioners to the public health sector. This study aimed to identify key factors associated with the referral of TB suspects by private practitioners. [from abstract]

This study endeavored to identify the gap in knowledge regarding the diagnosis and management of tuberculosis between public and private doctors and the factors affecting these knowledge scores in urban Pakistan. [adapted from abstract]

In an attempt to determine if countries with relatively large private health care sectors have relatively low rates of physician emigration, this study collected and analysed the relevant data from three countries (Ghana, India and Peru) with emerging economies. [adapted from author]

This study aimed to explore possibilities for public-private collaboration in the provision of ambulatory care at the primary level in the Mekong region, Vietnam. [from abstract]

In East China’s Jiangsu Province, the City of Haimen privatized all 25 township-village health centers in 2002. This study assesses the effect of privatization on staff retention among these health centers. [from abstract]

This study examines the supply of, demand for, and policy
environment of private nurse production in four selected countries. [from abstract]

This article reports on a systematic review of research studies investigating the performance of private and public sector delivery in low- and middle-income countries. [adpated from abstract]

The objective of this study was to determine the type and number of different types of health care providers, and the quality, cost and utilization of care delivered by those providers in rural Uganda. [from abstract]

This document argues that the gap left by the public health system combined with a government policy of proactively promoting the private sector has led to the proliferation of private health providers which are unregulated, unaccountable and untrained, causing a serious threat to women’s health. [adapted from author]

Policy initiatives to improve retention of the rural health workforce have relied primarily on evidence for rural doctors, most of whom practice under a private business model. Much of the literature for rural allied health (AH) workforce focuses on the public sector. This study explores sector differences in factors affecting retention of rural AH professionals. [from abstract]

The aim of this study was to better understand the quality assurance systems currently utilized in social franchises that deliver private sector health care, and to determine if there are shared standards for practice or quality outcomes that exist across programs. [adapted from abstract]

This review is focused on comparing health outcomes in private versus public care settings. It seeks to summarize what is known regarding the relative morbidity or mortality outcomes that result from treatment by public or private providers in low- and middle-income countries. [from abstract]

This article reviews findings on the types of HIV/AIDS services provided by the private health sector in developing countries and elaborates on the role of private providers of HIV services in Ethiopia. [from abstract]

This research study sought to answer questions regarding HIV/AIDS testing in the private sector such as percentage private sector tests, frequency of private sector testing in comparison to other services, and impact of wealth quintile on selection of private sector testing. [adapted from publisher]

While pay-for-performance incentives are frequently used in human resource management programs, there is less knowledge of alternative incentives for recognizing provider achievements in improving quality—especially in the private health sector. This report identifies which types of recognition mechanisms private providers prefer and provides recommendations for Peru and other countries on implementing a quality improvement program with a recognition component. [from abstract]

This primer aims to provide clear lessons and recommendations to help service delivery organizations
and program managers establish, implement, and strengthen contracting arrangements. The primer draws on Marie
Stopes International’s experience of delivering government-contracted services in Bangladesh, India, and South
Africa. [from summary]

Despite a widespread public health system, the private healthcare sector is the major provider of health care in rural India. This study describes the profile and medical practices of private rural health providers in rural Haryana, India. [from abstract]

This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among private sector doctors who manage HIV and AIDS patients in KwaZulu-Natal to collect data on private sector doctors’ HIV testing practices.

Evidence is emerging on the cost-effectiveness, quality and health coverage of social franchises (established networks of private sector providers for reproductive health and other primary care services). This study of providers in the Sun Quality Health network in Myanmar explores provider motivations – both financial and non-monetary – for joining and remaining in a social franchise. [adapted from author]

Issued by an international group of experts in health and private sector, this report stresses the importance of the private sector in responding to the HRH crisis and the need for further health workforce innovation, that increased the supply, improved the effectiveness of health workers. [from publisher]

In many countries with a high burden of tuberculosis, most patients receive treatment in the private sector. This study evaluates a multifaceted case-detection strategy in Karachi, Pakistan, targeting the private sector. [from abstract]

This paper reviews and provides an understanding of the private health sector’s role in low- and middle-income countries and its relationship with the governmental capacity to regulate private providers, in particular, and to act as health system steward, in general. [from abstract]

This toolkit offers health policy stakeholders and practitioners online access to a growing collection of information about policies and practices that can help enhance the contribution of the private sector to important health goals in developing countries. [from publisher]

This contribution looks at some of the roles of non-state providers (NSPs) in providing health services in fragile states that are coming out of conflict, and the relationships of NSPs with state agencies. [from author]

This paper complements several recently published discussions of options for influencing the private sector in low and middle-income countries. Its aim is to contribute to the development of common understandings of the realities of public and private provision and of policies for improving performance. It argues that we need to situate strategies towards private providers in the context of local relationships between the state, market and civil society. [from introduction]

This review explores the implications of expansion of the private for profit
health sector for equitable health systems in East and Southern Africa, explores whether there are signs of increasing for-profit private sector activity in the region, and identifies issues of concern on private for profit activity in the health sector. [adapted from summary]