Between 15th and 17th July 2024 WHO will host the first inter-regional meeting on the governance of the private sector in health to achieve UHC.
This landmark event will bring together global, regional, and country-level stakeholders to strategize effective governance arrangements between governments and the private sector, ensuring that private sector activities align with health system objectives. Co-hosted by WHO headquarters and WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean, the meeting will feature participants from health ministries, partners, WHO teams, and donors across five WHO regions.
The global pursuit of UHC faces significant challenges, with billions lacking adequate health services. WHO highlights the need to reorient health systems towards a Primary Health Care (PHC) approach as the cornerstone of UHC. This reorientation necessitates that governments not only provide direct health services but also effectively govern and guide the private sector's contributions to health system goals.
Building on the WHO Strategy report “Engaging the Private Health Service Delivery Sector through Governance in Mixed Health Systems,” and the activities of the Country Connector, WHO will launch the “Progression Pathway for the Governance of Mixed Health Systems” at this event. This tool aims to provide Member States with decision support and capacity-building resources to help align behaviors, capacities, and instruments to govern the public and private sectors as one.
The meeting will also present an opportunity for leveraging the role of the private health sector in EMRO’s flagship initiatives which aim to tackle the challenges facing the health workforce and the supply chain in the Region besides advancing private sector engagement in fragile, conflict affected and vulnerable settings (FCVs). Emphasis will be placed on ensuring all health services are high-quality, safe, comprehensive, integrated, accessible, and affordable. This aligns with WHO's broader strategy to achieve UHC by fostering robust governance in mixed health systems. In addition, the meeting will provide a platform for harnessing the global community to drive health outcomes by forging potential partnerships with global health actors and the different levels of WHO, exploring areas of synergy and capitalize on inter-regional and country learnings.
