Private Health : Policy and Regulatory Options for Private Participation
Many developing countries face a critical gap between the demand for health care services and their supply. Public resources often fall short of what is needed to provide universal health care, and the typical incentive structure in the public sect...
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| Format: | Viewpoint |
| Language: | English |
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Washington, DC
2012
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2003/06/2615787/private-health http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11295 |
| Summary: | Many developing countries face a
critical gap between the demand for health care services and
their supply. Public resources often fall short of what is
needed to provide universal health care, and the typical
incentive structure in the public sector may not always be
conducive to expanding access, improving the quality of
care, and ensuring efficient use of limited funding and
expertise. This Note defines options for mobilizing private
resources to achieve public health objectives. A government
seeking to encourage private participation in health care
provision can choose among six basic policy and regulatory
options that vary widely in the risks and responsibilities
borne by the private (for-profit or nonprofit) entity. At
one end of the spectrum the private sector takes on limited
responsibilities while the public sector remains the primary
provider of health care services. At the other, the
government establishes a policy environment in which
qualified private entities may freely enter and exit the
health care market. In this option private providers assume
the full risks and responsibilities associated with service
provision, and the public sector limits its role to regulation. |
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