Public-Private Partnerships in the Hospital Sector: Investment Promotion Conference

The conference aimed to raise awareness of and generate interest in investment opportunities in Afghanistan's hospital sector among potential national and international investors. The conference was well-attended by nearly 120 people, including international and national investors, government officials, representatives from the Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) and the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI), and national and international media. The conference featured speeches from several high-profile dignitaries, including H.E. Dr. Suraya Dalil, the Minister of Public Health, and William Hammink, the USAID/Afghanistan Mission Director. H.E. Dr. Suraya Dalil highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in Afghanistan's hospital sector, citing the country's significant progress in maternal and child health. She noted that the majority of health services in Afghanistan are paid for out-of-pocket by households, and many Afghans are traveling abroad for treatment of complex health problems. Dr. Dalil stated that public-private coordination is needed to enhance the standard of health care service delivery, especially for secondary and tertiary care, in the country. Dr. Dalil also recognized the major role the private sector plays in the delivery of health services and acknowledged USAID's technical and financial support through the Health Policy Project. She described the MoPH's significant progress towards establishing public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the hospital sector, particularly the establishment of a PPP unit within the MoPH to effectively manage PPP projects. William Hammink, the USAID/Afghanistan Mission Director, offered USAID's continued support and assistance to the MoPH's PPP initiative. He noted that the private sector will play an important role in improving health services in Afghanistan and applauded the MoPH for its efforts to increase effective collaboration with the private health sectors by seeking PPPs for several large donated hospitals. Mohammad Qurban Haqjo, the CEO of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries, focused on the status, recent achievements, and challenges of Afghanistan's private health sector. He noted that Afghanistan's achievements in health are the result of unique joint partnerships between the public and private sectors and emphasized the need to capitalize on the capacities of and opportunities in the private sector in developing a clear agenda and programs for future partnerships between the private and public sectors. Mohammad Ibrahim Shams, the Vice President of Investment Affairs at AISA, discussed the significance of PPPs in the health sector within the context of Afghanistan's investment climate. He supported the concept of PPPs as being highly beneficial and noted that the PPP unit within the MoPH has made significant progress in establishing PPPs in the hospital sector. The conference aimed to raise awareness of and generate interest in investment opportunities in Afghanistan's hospital sector among potential national and international investors. The conference featured speeches from several high-profile dignitaries, including the Minister of Public Health, the USAID/Afghanistan Mission Director, and the CEO of the Afghanistan Chamber of Commerce and Industries. The conference highlighted the importance of public-private partnerships in Afghanistan's hospital sector and the need for effective collaboration between the public and private sectors to enhance the standard of health care service delivery. The conference also emphasized the significance of PPPs in the health sector within the context of Afghanistan's investment climate. The Ministry of Public Health has made significant progress towards establishing public-private partnerships in the hospital sector, particularly the establishment of a PPP unit within the MoPH to effectively manage PPP projects. The PPP unit has drafted PPP regulation, drafted a PPP manual, and conducted feasibility studies for several large donated hospitals. The conference concluded with a call to action for the Ministry of Public Health to create incentives for private investment in health, such as offering private facility operators a tax exemption, so that they can focus more on quality and standards that will positively affect Afghanistan's health care services.