In October 2018, the Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean Region endorsed the “Framework for action on effective engagement with the private sector” to expand service coverage for universal health coverage. The framework identifies five important strategies:
- Developing a policy framework, organizational systems and financing strategies
- Developing strategic options, including strategic purchasing
- Improving the quality of services in the private health sector
- Ensuring that regulatory mechanisms are enforced
- Developing monitoring and reporting mechanisms
Following endorsement of resolution EM/RC65/R.3 which requested WHO to “support assessments to identify challenges and opportunities related to the engagement of private care providers in service delivery in order to develop strategic action plans for effective partnership towards achieving universal health coverage”, the Regional Office has been supporting Member States to undertake detailed assessments of the private health sector. To date, 16 countries in the Region have completed their assessments.
