Public-Private Partnerships in Global Health

During Week 12 we discussed Public-private partnerships (PPPs) , which have become prolific in Global Health in the past several years. While government has the ultimate responsibility of providing and improving the health of its population, there are limits to what the public sector can achieve on its own, as has been demonstrated again and again. Also, the private sector is now realizing that good health is a prerequisite to an effective workforce and fundamental fro economic growth and development and has increasingly become involved in global health solutions.
PPPs pool resources (financial and human capital) from the public and private sectors and have evolved as a response for the need to improve the quality of public service delivery. According to Thomas and Curtis, PPPs have emerged as a result of "an ideological shift which has created a facilitating environment for business, disillusionment with UN efficiency, a recognition that the global health agenda is too large for a single sector or organization to address on its own, a realization that the market alone cannot provide solutions, and a growing interest within the private sector to enhance its involvement in social issues."

Currently, PPPs in health provide preventative healthcare for Sexually Transmitted Disease and malaria, as well as developing and facilitating access to vaccines and drugs ( GAVI Alliance )and improving health service delivery.

The emergence of such cooperation between the public and private sectors is very exciting in global health because they 1. signal a fundamental shift in how things are done in Public Health 2. the adversarial relationship and distrust that has long existed between the sectors is now morphing into mutually beneficial partnerships and the global community will benefit as a result 3. The private sector will bring in efficiency and understanding of market mechanisms and the public sector will contribute with accountability and creation of markets 4. cooperative partnership will yield more favorable health outcomes, especially in developing countries where public health infrastructures are anemic.

However, in order for these partnerships to succeed they must be transparent, have accountability, a well-defined leadership and good governance.
It is an exciting time to be involved in Global Public Health, as technology and now public-private partnerships offer a viable solutions to global problems.