[ Research ]
Governance of the private healthcare sector in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review of approaches, effectiveness, and enablers
Year
2024
Research Type
Report
Category
Health Policy
Programme Area
Others
The private sector’s role in healthcare is growing across many settings. However, the sector remains under-governed in many contexts, particularly in low- and middle income countries. Further, the understanding of the evidence base relating to private sector governance remains inadequate, with limited information available on the effectiveness of various approaches, and factors which facilitate or hinder their functioning. This scoping review was commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) to address this gap by synthesising the available literature on the governance of private healthcare financing and delivery.
Detailed description

The review seeks to answer the following questions:

  1. What are the different approaches adopted to govern the private sector?
  2. How effective are these approaches?
  3. What are the key enablers of, and barriers to, the adoption of these approaches, and what potential avenues have been identified to strengthen Governance Behaviours across different contexts?

Narrative synthesis was conducted on 108 included studies published since 2010, structured around the three research questions for each of the six WHO Governance Behaviours (Deliver Strategy, Enable Stakeholders, Foster Relations, Build Understanding, Align Structures and Nurture Trust), and an additional cross-cutting theme on capacities for governing the private sector.

This report presents the findings around each Governance Behaviour and provides cross-cutting lessons for those involved in governance of the private sector and evidence generation in relation to it. The results of the review have been used to develop a Progression Pathway for the Governance of Mixed Health Systems, to assist countries in assessing their governance capacities relating to work effectively with the private sector, prioritising actions to improve governance, and tracking progress over time. The review also highlights important areas for future evidence generation on this important, but neglected, topic.

Governance Behavior
Build Understanding
File/s Attachment
Source
WHO
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