The Private Sector Health Platform (PSSP in French), led by Dr. Dossou-Gbete, is the voice of the private health sector in Benin. It is also the USAID Benin Private Sector Health Partnership Activity’s (PSHPA’s) main local partner in efforts to increase the private sector’s supply of—and access to—reproductive, maternal, neonatal and child health (RMNCH) services. PSHPA has supported PSSP in several public-private partnership (PPP) efforts, including proposing a partnership between the government of Benin and potential donors for medical waste disposal, hosting a large West African regional symposium on PPPs, and establishing PPP forums at the national and district level.
What has been missing is an overarching strategy to guide PPP efforts throughout the country. To rectify this, the Abt-led PSHPA is working in close collaboration with the Benin Ministry of Health and PSSP to develop a strategic framework that includes an overall partnership policy, a national approach for public-private dialogue, an organizational structure for partnerships within the Ministry of Health, a PPP financing model, and PPP procurement procedures. The strategy is currently being finalized and will be enacted by a decree from the Minister of Health.
At the local level, PSHPA has worked extensively with the PSSP to facilitate inter-sectoral collaboration and the promotion of constructive dialogue between private and public stakeholders. All seven Health Zones with which PSHPA works have established individualized public-private engagement frameworks, each led by a Ministry of Health staff member who oversees the private sector’s health work and inter-sectoral collaboration. Forums are held quarterly and are an ideal environment for discussing collaborative issues related to the demand for—and supply of—quality RMNCH services and private sector reporting. Thanks to these forums, PSHPA and PSSP are able to customize training sessions for departmental teams and private health facilities. This has led to strong participation from private health facilities in public-private dialogue meetings, setting the stage for future successes from these partnerships.
