II. Reading Guide

Before proceeding, users are encouraged to read Annex 2: A Simplified Tool for Determining Need for a Public-Private Partnership. This simple tool will help readers determine whether establishing a PPP in hospital management in their locality is the best solution for their identified needs and problems.

Having decided that a PPP in hospital management is a viable option, users will find it easy to navigate through this guidebook. The six-step process for developing a PPP project or enterprise in hospital management is explained in simple terms, supported by on-the-ground experiences of the local governments of Sarangani and Camarines Norte. Again, the six steps proposed may be adjusted or modified according to local needs and conditions.

The step-by-step manner by which the procedures are discussed does not necessarily mean that such steps must be strictly followed in the order that they are presented. For example, a user doing Step 1 (determine needs and review the hospital services in the area) may opt to simultaneously do Step 2 (identify stakeholders and their roles) as well. The steps are difficult to separate in a real-life situation, so users should not feel limited by the sequencing used in this guidebook.

The discussion in each step follows a simple flow. First, a description is given, with objectives and tools. This is followed by key activities and the expected outcome. The discussion in each step looks like this:

1.1  About This Step

1.2  Key Activities

1.3  Expected Outcome

The numbering of these three sections indicates the step, too. For example, 1.2 Key Activities refers to the key activities in Step 1 and 3.3 Expected Outcome refers to expected outcome in Step 3.

The following markers and symbols will provide additional help in navigating the guidebook:

Important reminders

Elaborations on certain sections

Best practices

Content marked with  are important reminders. It's okay to quickly skim them on the first reading, but they should be read more thoroughly after finishing the section.

Content marked with  elaborates on certain sections. It may include definitions, recommendations for specific activities that can fulfill a particular goal, or suggested courses of action to deal with certain challenges.

Good or best practices from organizations that have already developed their PPPs in hospital management projects or enterprises are also shared here. These stories are in boxes and marked with .

You can see where you are in this guidebook by looking at the upper margins of the page. You can also flip back to the process illustration (Figure 2) on page 7.

Some terms are explained within the text while others are defined in the glossary. This guidebook also comes with several other knowledge products, such as the Frequently Asked Questions on PPP in Health, which are found in the annexes of the final report on the ADB technical assistance project, Public-Private Partnership in Health in the Philippines. Readers from Philippine LGUs will find it beneficial to refer to the PPP Manual for LGUs: Developing PPP Projects for Local Government Units, which can be accessed at http://ppp.gov.ph/?page_id=5779