Private sector

This message board is for discussions on the private sector and family planning. Please feel free to ask questions or share resources on a total market approach and private sources of financing for family planning.

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Published Date: 
Wednesday, March 27, 2019

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Blended finance for family planning – a new focus area

We’ve been hearing more about the growth of the blended finance market in recent years, but why hasn’t family planning made it into the discussions?

 

HP+ wanted to a share a resource for blended finance and family planning experts alike that explores opportunities at this intersection. Blended finance - the strategic use of public and philanthropic resources to mobilize private capital to achieve development outcomes - can be used to bring alternate sources of financing to development challenges while mitigating risks for private investors not accustomed to investing in development settings. Given the global financing gap for family planning, we wanted to assess how blended finance can play a role in testing and scaling innovative models that improve sustainability of and access to voluntary, rights-based family planning programs. Let us know what you think of our ideas.

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Private sector engagement

HP+ is currently working with the Ministry of Health in Liberia to develop their first cross-cutting Private Sector Engagement Framework. This framework will help the ministry engage and partner with the private health sector to achieve national health goals. This framework pays specific attention to how the public and private sector can work together to achieve family planning goals, including those outlined in their Costed Implementation Plan.

 

Where have you seen examples of Ministries of Health using private sector engagement to help achieve family planning product and/or service delivery goals?

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HP+ developed a new approach (a combination of modeling and political economy analysis) to engaging stakeholders for a Total Market Approach (TMA), with first application in Uganda. The project developed a TMA projection tool to estimate the financial and equity benefits of implementing TMA for FP programs, while the political economy analysis helped better understand the power dynamics, strength of relationships, and incentives across market players that determine their respective motivations (or lack thereof) in implementing TMA initiatives. In Uganda, the government’s strong policy and strategy commitment to FP had not translated into dedicated financial or human resources for TMA, and this methodology allowed HP+ to make some recommendations for advancing the TMA agenda through government stewardship and market interventions.

Where have you seen concrete examples of TMA being applied in your countries? If your country is still in the process of moving from policy to action, where are you hitting roadblocks? HP+ is in the process of completing a brief on market interventions, which is meant to serve as a tool for government, donors, and TMA practitioners who may be bought into the idea of TMA but do not have clarity on the next steps to take. Stay tuned for this resource that will help stakeholders take action to address market gaps, inefficiencies, or distortions.

Here's a link for more info on the TMA application in Uganda: http://www.healthpolicyplus.com/ns/pubs/8214-8378_UgandaPEABrief.pdf

The brief Kate mentioned ("From Policy to Practice: Defining Health Market Interventions within a Total Market Approach") is attached and can also be found at this link.