The Hieroglyphs of Health

The Roadmap for Private Sector Engagement in Egypt's Health Sector Series

Prioritizing Equity and Universal Health Coverage Goals in Engaging the Private Sector in Egypt's Universal Health Insurance System

Insights from WHO

The quest for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demands a collaborative approach involving governments, civil society, and businesses. SDG 17 emphasizes cooperation, recognizing that progress in health (SDG 3) and related goals like decent work (SDG 8) and innovation (SDG 9) are interlinked.

In the realm of healthcare, the private sector encompasses diverse entities, including for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, both domestic and international. Its involvement in health systems is extensive, ranging from service provision to product delivery and infrastructure development. Amidst burgeoning health challenges like fiscal constraints and demographic shifts, the private sector offers solutions through its capacity, expertise, and innovation.

However, gaps persist in understanding the true impact and advantages of private sector engagement. Challenges such as inadequate regulation and market abuses threaten the equity and quality goals of UHC. While the not-for-profit sector aligns well with UHC principles, its integration into national health systems remains patchy due to governance shortcomings.

To address these issues, governments must take the helm, defining clear health priorities and formulating policies that align with UHC objectives. A nuanced approach is essential, considering the diverse nature of private sector actors and their varying intentions and capacities. Multistakeholder dialogues play a pivotal role in shaping policies, fostering transparency, and enhancing accountability.

While high-income countries boast established regulatory frameworks, middle- and low-income nations face greater challenges in regulating a rapidly evolving private sector. Here, establishing a governing body for private sector engagement with the right expertise and with membership of the right stakeholders is essential in steering discussions and ensuring that public-private partnerships prioritize health equity and UHC goals.

Ignoring the role of the private sector in national efforts towards UHC is not an option. WHO proposes the following approach to manage and engage the private sector as part of efforts to achieve UHC.

·       First, based on domestic health goals and priorities, Egypt need to formulate public policies about the role of the private sector for UHC, orienting the health systems towards achieving UHC.

·       Second, context-specific policy approaches are required to align the work of the private sector with the goal of achieving UHC. The choice and implementation of public-private UHC policies need to be informed by an understanding of the different private sector actors that operate in a country. Engagement in multistakeholder dialogue is important to uncover risks and conflict of interests as well as strengthen accountability within the health system.

·       Third, Egypt to implement its policy on the role of the private sector for UHC, with a mix of legal and financial regulatory tools to manage the private sector and steer efforts towards achieving UHC.

The time is ripe for a country level dialogue have an open debate on the role of the private sector in Egypt that would achieve its goals towards universal health insurance and leverage the strengths of the private sector responsibly.