Role of Public-Private Partnerships in Primary Healthcare Services Worldwide: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Background: The public health system is currently facing a shortage of resources, and the demand for healthcare has increased, indicating the need to use the capacities of other sectors through public-private partnership (PPP) strategies to improve the quantity and quality of health services. Objectives: The purpose is to identify PPPs' role in providing primary healthcare worldwide. Methods: This study was conducted in 2020. The Arksey O’Malley framework was used, along with a systematic literature search on five databases, including Web of Science (ISI), Scopus, Pubmed, ProQuest, and Google Scholar. Data were gathered from 2000 to 2020. Results: The findings presented in this study are reported based on 16 selected studies. The findings point to the positive impacts of cooperation between the public and private sectors in health care systems on matters of provision, coverage, and performance of services, as well as improvements in responsiveness to providers towards enhancing health referral systems. The provision of participatory services in countries varied according to their level of development, and further interactions between the government and the private sector resulted in better coverage and reduced inequality in service delivery. Conclusions: Public-private partnership is an effective way to achieve sustainable development goals. Public-private partnerships can be strengthened by integrating public and private sector facilities and aligning the interests and motivations of service providers with public health goals. Also, awareness of the plans and capacity of public and private sectors, along with conscious and mutual interaction, can strengthen health on a larger scale. Scientific approaches and correct participation can also relieve the part of governmental responsibilities to focus on more primary measures so that it can carry out its core tasks, including stewardship, policy-making, and supervision, with greater focus and power to facilitate the achievement of goals.