Contracting out health services: a comprehensive review

Project Details

Many low-income, conflict-affected, and fragile countries have been contracting out primary health care services to non-governmental organisations as a means to address gaps in health service coverage and capacity. Contracting out can offer both benefits and challenges for the health sector. Asian Development Bank (ADB), a key development partner providing financing and technical assistance, wants to better understand the results and implications of contracting out health services.

Nossal Institute will conduct a comprehensive review of ADB's experience with contracting out health services, notably in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Cambodia, in the context of relevant experiences in similar settings. We will analyse the results, implications, benefits, and risks of this approach, as well as its impact on the broader health system in the longer term.

This work will provide valuable insights into the role of contracting out in strengthening primary health care services in challenging contexts. It will propose decision-making frameworks and strategies to explore the potential of contracting out in various settings, and propose measures to mitigate risks and ensure sustainable, equitable, and effective primary health care delivery through partnerships with NGOs.

Researchers

Professor Barbara McPake

Funding

This project is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB)