Partnerships may well be the order of the day. In the same way that the order of things in the universe is maintained by continuing action and reaction, governments certainly cannot survive on their own. Intrinsic in any state intervention is the element of people's participation.
This is the basis of public-private partnership (PPP). PPP embodies the strength of cooperation and the principle of shared governance. PPP is not an idea to be marketed and sold as if it is a sure-fire formula for something that has gone wrong. Instead, it is among the many strategies that nations can adopt as they pursue their national development goals. However, like many strategies, it may or may not work at all. Its success is dependent on several factors but experiences worldwide point to transparency as one of the most important determinants. Partners do not want to be treated with suspicion. Genuine partnerships require trust and openness.
Many countries are already seriously taking this path. Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino III has pronounced that "…they (private partners) will play a vital role in our administration's fulfillment of our Social Contract with our people." This declaration comes at the most opportune time as the country doubles its efforts in achieving Millennium Development Goals 4 (reduce child mortality by two-thirds) and 5 (reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters).
Why PPP for health? For one, it capitalizes on the essence of genuine partnerships. It motivates both the public and private sectors to work together toward the attainment of common public health goals, particularly those that impact most on mothers and their children. Second, PPP calls for deeper levels of transparency and operates in an arena where stakeholders share resources and risks. Third, PPP motivates partners to produce tangible results and cutting-edge solutions, ensuring better and more efficient public health services, financial viability, and sustainability. Finally, PPP calls for creativity. It explores the untested grounds and considers "out of the box" solutions.
To help implementers, particularly public agencies and local government units, the Asian Development Bank, through the technical assistance project PPP in Health (TA-7257 PHI), has developed this guidebook and another one titled, Guidebook on Public-Private Partnership in Pharmacy. This guidebook has been crafted from actual experiences on the ground as the Development Bank of the Philippines, the Department of Health, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, and the Asian Development Bank worked with local governments in developing PPP projects in hospital management.
Having reliable and efficient hospital management services is an important cornerstone of public health service delivery. A PPP in hospital management tackles this requisite by ensuring that a private sector service provider will not only render services at all times but will also offer compassionate, safe, and affordable care, and demonstrate authentic corporate social responsibility.
It is hoped that this guidebook will assist you, our dear readers and implementers, in considering and developing PPPs in health projects, particularly as you work together in ensuring that our people will always have access to affordable and safe health care.