Senegal Private Health Sector Mapping

Background:

The private health sector plays an important role in the provision of care in Senegal. While the sector is growing, the true scope and distribution of private health facilities remains unknown. Following a recommendation from the 2015 Senegal Private Sector Assessment, USAID along with the Ministère de la Santé et de l’Action Sociale (Ministry of Health and Social Action) and the Alliance du Secteur Privé de la Santé (Private Health Sector Alliance) asked SHOPS Plus to conduct a private health sector mapping to identify the number, distribution, and characteristics of all private health facilities in the country.

Objectives/research questions:

The main objective was to create a database of all private health sector facilities in Senegal to provide key country stakeholders such as the Ministry and the alliance with an overview of the size, scope, geography, and characteristics of the private health sector. The data would also be used to inform future programs to strengthen the involvement of the private sector in improving health outcomes in Senegal.

Specific research questions: 

• What is the geographic location (including GPS coordinates) and distribution of private health facilities throughout Senegal? Where are they concentrated? 
• What are their characteristics? (type of facility, years of operation, affiliation, etc.)
• How many workers (medical and non-medical) are employed in each facility?
• What is the type and volume of services provided at private facilities?
• What types of collaboration exist between the private facilities and the public sector?
• What are the major barriers to improving the performance of the health facility?

Methods: 

The study targeted all private sector facilities nationwide, including hospitals, clinics, pharmacies, drug shop, diagnostic and laboratory facilities, and non-governmental organizations. SHOPS Plus and local research partner, APAPS, compiled a comprehensive list of all private facilities nationwide, conducted field work to validate the list, and used snowball sampling to expand it. Surveyors administered face-to-face interviews with facility managers. 

New report sheds light on the private sector in Senegal

Status: Completed 
Last updated: August 2020

Learn more about our work in Senegal.

See other SHOPS plus studies.