‘Invisible’ Healthcare Providers

Not-for-profit, non-government hospitals and clinics in developing countriesBelinda Thompson, PhD Scholar

Why they are important

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Why they are ‘invisible’

• No list exists• International governance structures• Politics• External to health systems• Scale• Poorly functioning bureaucracies

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Barriers to the research

• Lack of academic precedent • Contested / contentious terminology• Inaccessibility of information• Confounding factors

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What do we know?

• Absence of data• Calls for further research• Some limited, regional attempts at

typology• Lack of framework for research

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What I want to know is….

• What, where, when, why & how• Origins, ownership, succession• Operational structures, facilities• Relationships with other actors• Government – friend or foe?• Funding & engagement

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My approach

1. Scope out a typology2. Select three case studies from one of the

types identified

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Proposed methodology

• Research publicly available materials, informal discussions

• Initial public survey• Literature review• Specific surveys of types identified• Three case studies – interviews on site

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Right now…

• Initial survey has 223 responses to date• Showing a large lack of awareness – 65% • Firming views on types, being:

i. Vertical ii. Faith-basediii. Emergency responseiv. Personality-basedv. Specialistsvi. Delivery innovators vii. Mining-relatedviii. Travelling health clinics / individuals

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Research outcomes?

• Raise awareness / recognition• Increase understanding• Provide opportunities for collaboration• Information sharing

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How you can help

• Fill out my survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/G58X8H2

• If you see /hear something, contact me: Belinda Thompson PhD ScholarCrawford School of Public Policy, ANU0409 305 000Belinda.Thompson@anu.edu.au

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Key references• Ahmed, S, Bloom, A & Sweeney, R 2011, ‘Analysing relationship between the state

and non-state health care providers, with special reference to Asia and the Pacific’, Health Policy and Health Finance Knowledge Hub Working Paper, no. 10.

• Buse, K & Walt, G 1997, ‘An unruly mélange? Coordinating external resources to the health sector: A review’, Social Science & Medicine, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 449-63.

• Gilson, L 2012, Health Policy and Systems Research: A methodology reader, Geneva: Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research & World Health Organisation.

• Green, A 1987, ‘The role of non‐governmental organizations and the private sector in the provision of health care in developing countries’, The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 37-58.

• Olivier, J & Wodon, Q 2012, ‘Playing broken telephone: assessing faith-inspired health care provision in Africa’, Development in Practice, vol. 22, no. 5-6, pp. 819-34.

• Salamon, L & Anheier, H 1992, ‘In search of the non-profit sector. I: The question of definitions’, Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 125-51.

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