WGS 2018: Effective Models Of Public-Private Partnerships Essential To Achieving Sustainable Development Goals

Tedros Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), led a panel discussion on Public-Private Partnerships and their relative benefit to the healthcare sector in a Global Policy Platform session on day two of the sixth World Government Summit (WGS 2018).

For the session, titled ‘PPPs for Better Healthcare’, in partnership with WHO, Ghebreyesus was joined by Hartwig Schafer, Vice President, Global Themes from the World Bank, Ghassan Hasbani, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Health, Lebanon, Madeline Bell, President and CEO – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Dr Shamsheer Vayalil, Managing Director of VPS Healthcare in Abu Dhabi.

The spirited discussion between the panelists highlighted the challenges faced by both the public and private sectors in partnering to offer better healthcare services. “Both parties must understand that their end goal is to ensure easily accessible healthcare and the promotion of better health to the general public. PPPs are a must for the world to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, but there is a trust deficit that needs to be addressed, especially as governments change,” said Ghebreyesus.

Key takeaways that emerged from the session were that although PPPs have the potential to be game changers, they require political acceptance and understanding of their benefits as well as patience on the part of the private sector in navigating through existing government regulations and bureaucracy.