Healthcare Sabha 2018 | Strengthening PPPs in healthcare

The first panel discussion of Healthcare Sabha focussed on the way forward to build sustainable strategic partnerships between government and private partners in order to improve India’s healthcare system. The discussion was moderated by Raelene Kambli, Special Correspondent, Express Healthcare and the panelists were Chander Shekhar Sibal, Sr Vice President, Fujifilm India, Nidhi Khare, Principal Sect, Dept of Health and Family Welfare, Govt of Jharkhand, Dr Darez Ahmed, Mission Director, NHM, Tamil Nadu, Sushant Kinra, MD, Carestream Healthcare.

Experts on the panel drew inferences from their experiences in dealing with PPPs and informed that an outcome focus approach is a must for the success and sustainability of such projects. PPPs in healthcare should be designed on outcomes and not on inputs, they maintained. We also need good tools for monitoring and evaluation framework to make PPPs work, opined the panelists while identifying some of the challenges. They spoke on the essentials for striking the right partnership and how they can come up with sensible risk-sharing mechanisms among the public and the private partners. Further, they shared their views on the need for a regulatory framework that can be create a better ecosystem for PPPs in healthcare.

The panelists also deliberated on technologies that can be  utilised to create efficient platform for tracking and monitoring the progress on PPPs in healthcare. Further, the panelists pointed out that there is a need to outline clear guidelines for more implementation of PPP projects. At the end, the panelists unanimously agreed that a good policy framework will be key to success in PPPs.

Key takeaways

• PPPs in healthcare should be designed on outcomes and not on inputs. We also need good tools for monitoring and evaluation framework to make PPPs work.
• There is a need to build better synergies between government and private partners. Quick dispute resolution is also essential to make PPPs work in healthcare.
• If the intent is good and true, PPPs will succeed. The right mindset is essential. Both, the government and the private sector should ensure focus on ‘value for all’ and not just ‘value for money’
• Effective use of technology can help in improving efficiencies, ushering transparency and bettering outcomes in healthcare PPP projects.
• Government cannot abdicate its core functions when it comes to healthcare. It can outsource certain functions for better outcomes but it also has to keep strengthening our systems.

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