Health Policy Issues and Health Programmes in ... - Amazon S3

Public–Private Interaction in Health: Policy Issuesspatial distribution. One problem observed in India is that most of these investments aregeographically concentrated in fewer places. Appropriate policy may correct this bias.Advocacy, Education, and Consumer ProtectionAdvocacy groups, education, and consumer protection have important roles in the marketeconomy. When illiteracy rates are high, it is important for the state to provide information andeducation to vulnerable populations. Governments should also encourage the formation ofadvocacy groups to be involved in policy-making. Another area is recognizing the rights ofpatients. Many developing countries do not have sufficient legislation to empower consumers.Without acknowledging the rights of consumers and providing pressure from the consumerside, the private sector could be less effective. The health ministry can establish public–privateforums as a mechanism to exchange information between public and private sectors.Promoting ResearchLittle is known about the ways in which the private markets in the health sector function. Thehealth departments should promote initiatives that provide analysis of functioning of privatesector initiatives. The evidence generated from these studies can provide useful insights indeveloping future policies. Development of a policy framework towards private health caresector is a long, drawn-out process, and research can provide useful inputs into the process.Also, there are many interest groups involved that have considerable stakes; the policy reformsin this area will be effective only if these stakeholders are convinced about the utility of theprocesses. Research can be an effective instrument in developing policy reforms. The time isappropriate to initiate efforts in developing a research agenda and a series of research projectsto examine various issues. The focus should be primarily oriented towards developing thepolicy framework for the private health care sector.ReferencesBhat, Ramesh. 1996. “Regulation of the Private Health Sector in India.” International Journal ofHealth Planning and Management 11: 253–274.Bhat, Ramesh. 2000. “Issues in Health: Public–Private Partnerships.” Economic and PoliticalWeekly XXXV (30 December 2000): 4706–4716.Bhat, Ramesh and S Sharma. 1997. “Current Issues in the Implementation of User Fees in PublicFacilities in West Bengal.” DfID Report prepared for Strategic Planning Cell, West Bengal HealthSector Development Programme, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of WestBengal.Bhatia, M and Anne Mills. 1997. “Contracting Out of Dietary Services by Public Hospitals inBombay.” In Private Health Providers in Developing Countries, edited by Sara Bennett, BarbaraMcPake, and Anne Mills. Zed Books.108Duggal, Ravi and Suchetha Amin. 1989. Cost of Health Care: A Household Survey in an IndianDistrict. Bombay: The Foundation for Research in Community Health.