HSRE - International Workshop - Public-Private Mix: Is it a Public Health Fix?

A Research-to-Policy workshop was held on 20-22 June 2007 at Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand, to disseminate findings of this project and related research in the region and to develop policy implications on the basis of this research.

The workshop was inaugurated by Dr. Samlee Plianbangchang, Regional Director, WHO (SEARO). Participants included researchers, governments representatives, WHO, NGOs and representatives of professional organisations from India, Indonesia and Thailand, as well as international scholars from Denmark, Norway and USA.

To identify feasible regulatory mechanisms and strategies for the private healthcare sector to improve quality of care for the poor in urban India, Indonesia and Thailand
To identify lessons learnt and best practices from health policy interventions for the urban poor in the three countries

Presentations covered a broad range of themes that together establish a highly relevant context for any discussion of the private health care sector in urban areas. The main issues that emerged from each country under four cross-cutting themes were:

1. Health care sector and patient rights: Harmful medication consumption, the need to focus on the most important problems such as urban growth, the role of health citizenship and the need to rethink health care delivery to people who are on the move;

2. Rights, regulation and legislations: Implementation and enforcement, mechanisms for conflict resolution, enforcement of disciplinary measures that have been put into place as one mechanism, strengthening of positive motivations as another important mechanism, and issues regarding how to make profit and still provide good quality services in the private sector;

3. Quality of services: Strengthening of government services in urban areas, the need to include the middle class to ensure that service delivery mechanisms go beyond providing poor public health for the poor, incorporation of less-than-qualified private practitioners, establishment of dialogue in a scenario where the current move of raids in Delhi have proven not to be very effective, and finding news ways to access continued health education;

4. Health Financing: The Universal Coverage Scheme held suggestions for India along the same lines, but there were also important lessons to be learnt from the Thailand experience in pursuit of equitable funding mechanisms.