By Cecil MENSAH
Public Private Partnership (PPP) has been identified as one of the main ingredients for boosting the quality of health delivery in the West African sub-region.
The decision to use PPP to boost investments in the health sector in the sub-region became paramount at a stakeholder meeting supported by the United States Department for International Development (USAID).
The forum was to establish a high-level dialogue platform to enable public and private sector communicate and share ideas for sustainable collaboration in the health sector.
The meeting was also to identify platforms that can help finance health protection in the most underprivileged populations in the sub-region and further complement public health care through the construction of more standard and well-equipped health facilities.
Speaking at the opening of the forum, Madam Tina Mensah, Deputy Minister for Health, said in order to achieve desired health outcomes, substantial investments are needed in the health sector to finance infrastructure development, provision of equipment, human resource and capacity building.
It has become clear within the continent that trends in global economic difficulties such as inflows from development partners continue to dwindle; and judging by the trends, these inflows will soon cease the Member of Parliament for Weija-Gbawe in the Greater Accra Region said.
According to her, this is more apparent with Ghana’s attainment of lower middle income status, which means that the country is more sufficient.
The reduction in donor inflows is justified as these partners shift attention to countries that need more assistance, she stressed.
She noted that in the light of these economic challenges and the burden placed on the national economy by the substantially large wage bill, government has over the years resorted to PPP arrangements in healthcare provision.
The Government of Ghana funding for goods and services has reduced over the years and health care providers have to find innovative ways to generate revenue and this include PPP arrangements, she added.
“Financing health care in Ghana is organized under four main categories, public, private-self-financing, private-not-for profit and the traditional systems. So, private sector expertise and financing has become one of the new and innovative ways to generate revenue for investments in health care,” she maintained.
She opined that there has been a significant milestone with regard to PPP arrangements, including the construction of health facilities, outsourcing non-clinical services including catering and cleaning services, as well as arrangement with private laboratories for the provision of capital intensive equipment, among others, in the country.
Dr. Xavier Crespin, Director-General of WAHO, earlier said the organization’s decision to seek potential private sector partners as well as prioritizing the private sector in health care delivery in times of emerging diseases such as Ebola was appropriate in the West African sub-region.
He said WAHO and its partners acknowledge that PPP must be mutually beneficial and that the private sector entities must also have their objectives of achieving the goals the organization has set for itself.
