New publication on public-private partnerships for family planning

To reach the Family Planning 2020 goal of enabling 120 million more women and girls to use contraceptives, governments must leverage private sector strengths and resources. One way to do this is through public-private partnerships (PPPs). 

In a new primer published by SHOPS Plus, Emily Mangone and Nelson Gitonga explore PPPs for family planning. Five partnerships show examples of host country government participation: Marie Stopes Papua New Guinea, Sehat Sahulat Card in Pakistan, Sayana Press implementation in Senegal, Wazazi Nipendeni in Tanzania, and accredited drug dispensing outlets in Tanzania.

In writing this primer, we learned that many practical and sustainable solutions on deploying PPPs . . . lie with the local public and private health sector frontline teams.” − Nelson Gitonga, co-author

The WHO health system building blocks provide an important framework to stimulate new thinking on how PPPs could address various health system functions. Using this framework, the authors identified examples of PPPs for family planning related to service delivery, workforce, financing, medical products and technologies, health information, and leadership and governance.

The authors interviewed representatives of public and private entities in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda. They sought insight from PPP unit representatives who worked on health projects, including for family planning.

PPPs are a promising mechanism to engage private sector resources for public good . . . Ultimately, we hope to encourage governments and implementing organizations to broaden their approach to PPPs that advance family planning initiatives.” − Emily Mangone, co-author

Read the primer.