Advocacy Organizations
NGOs and other advocacy coalitions are important stakeholders in a private health sector assessment, especially one that is focused on a specific health area, such as HIV/AIDS or family planning. These organizations will be familiar with local issues and concerns pertaining to the health area of interest, and may also be able to point the team to important groups or individuals to include as key informants. Women’s organizations often work hand in hand with the SRH and MNCH sectors and are often able to quickly articulate gender and health issues of interest. Be sure to include them in your NGO assessment. Rather than adapt many of these questions to be gender-specific, pose these questions to women’s or gender equality NGOs. View and download questions.
Business Coalitions
Business councils or coalitions represent the interests of private companies, and originally emerged as part of the private sector response to the HIV epidemic. For any assessments that are focused on, or include, HIV and AIDS, the team will likely want to interview the Executive Director or other representative of a business coalition, to learn more about their history, mission, and members, as well as any challenges companies currently face regarding the HIV epidemic or other relevant public health issues. The team may want to follow up with specific companies that are active in HIV or other health areas, as identified by the business coalition. View and download questions.
Community-Based Health Insurance Organizations
Community-based health insurance (CBHI) is a type of private health insurance that typically targets low-income people. The West African mutuelles model is a well-known example of CBHI. More recently termed micro-insurance, these schemes offer protection to low-income people against specific health threats in exchange for regular premium payments. Where these programs exist, it is worthwhile to find out how they operate, which services they cover, and which providers (public or private) are in their network. View and download questions.
Professional Health Associations
Professional health associations represent health care professionals, whether they practice in the public or private sector. Associations are typically established by cadre (such as physicians, nurses, or pharmacists) but sometimes represent health workers as a whole. While this is not the case in every country, there are a growing number of associations representing solely private health providers. Speaking to professional associations can provide useful information on the overall health sector, understanding of the various cadres and their unique challenges, as well as insights into how public and private health providers relate to one another. Private professional health associations will be particularly helpful in understanding the private health sector, its key actors and its constraints. View and download questions.