20 Essential Resources on the Private Sector and Family Planning

In these regions, a significant proportion of family planning clients obtain their methods from private providers, with 50% in sub-Saharan Africa and 65% in Asia. Similarly, for the treatment of childhood illnesses, the majority of caregivers turn to private providers. To achieve global health coverage and equity goals, it is essential to fully engage with the private sector of the health system. The Sustaining Health Outcomes through the Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus project has a mandate to advance learning and has generated lessons from the implementation of various approaches. The project has developed a curated collection of resources on the private health sector, which is housed in the SHOPS Plus Resource Center. This collection is designed to accelerate improvement in family planning markets and provide policymakers and program implementers with the necessary tools and information to engage with the private sector effectively. The collection includes 20 essential resources, categorized into four topics: Organizing Private Providers, Enabling Environment, Total Market Approach, and Innovating Financing. Each resource is accompanied by a summary and a statement on why it is essential. The resources have been chosen for their contributions to the evidence base and either broad geographic applicability or presentation of new data or methodologies. One of the key resources in the collection is the primer "Stewarding the Private Sector for Family Planning." This primer highlights examples of successful efforts by public stewards to engage the private health sector in the areas of policy and strategy development, regulation, and supervision. The primer recommends approaches for donors, implementing partners, and governments to consider as they seek to improve public stewardship of private providers for better family planning outcomes. Another essential resource is "Organizing the Private Sector to Support Universal Health Coverage Goals." This primer examines six diverse countries that have successfully organized private providers to identify lessons on strengthening their voice, improving quality of care, and expanding their access to revenue opportunities. The primer concludes with five principles for organizing the private sector, including identifying and leveraging the right motivations and incentives, strong local leadership, and monitoring, learning, and adapting. The report "Expanding Access to Voluntary Family Planning Services" provides insights on engaging the private sector within national stewardship and financing systems for family planning. The report highlights the challenges for expanding access to family planning through the private sector in contexts where government capacity and functions for private sector engagement are still emerging and evolving. The study "Evaluating the Impact of Social Franchising on Family Planning in Kenya" indicates that access to a franchise is correlated with access to and increased use of long-acting or permanent methods, which are more effective and cost-effective methods of family planning. The study suggests that franchised facilities may provide additional points of access for family planning and other services, but the presence of the franchise does not, in and of itself, increase the use of family planning in Kenya. A Legal and Regulatory Assessment of Private Healthcare Provision in Cambodia: Private Providers' Perceptions is another essential resource in the collection. This assessment examines the legal and regulatory environment for private healthcare provision in Cambodia and provides insights into the perceptions of private providers regarding the regulatory framework. The assessment highlights the importance of a supportive regulatory environment for private providers to deliver high-quality services. Overall, the collection of resources on the private sector and family planning is designed to provide policymakers and program implementers with the necessary tools and information to engage with the private sector effectively. The resources highlight the importance of the private sector in advancing health outcomes and provide insights into the challenges and opportunities for engaging with the private sector in family planning programming.