The Philippine government will have better options for addressing the inadequacy of its health sector to provide basic health services with a new ADB project that seeks to develop tested public-private partnership (PPP) modalities specifically for improving the country’s maternal and child health status.
PRIMEX associated with Australian firm, SMEC, and recently won the contract to implement ADB’s technical assistance to the Philippines on Public-Private Partnership in Health (TA No. 7257-PHI).
The TA is expected to promote PPP modalities in the health sector by conducting a sector assessment; assisting to prepare PPP policy, regulations, guidelines, and a handbook; and identifying preliminary PPP health subprojects for potential support.
It will also develop incentives and operational strategies that encourage smallscale health providers to attain Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) and/or other accreditation for health services in rural and underserved areas. Case studies will also be documented where providers are working in rural and undeserved areas.
The TA will also develop incentives and operational strategies to encourage small-scale health providers in attaining Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) accreditation for health services in rural and underserved areas by way of identifying and providing incentives for them to work in such areas, and develop partnerships to scale up initiatives with project support.
The TA, which will be implemented from January 2011 to June 2012, is piggybacked to the ADB loan-funded Credit for Better Health Care Project (CBHCP) being implemented by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP).
A total of eight consultants have been mobilized by SMEC-PRIMEX to implement this TA, including four from PRIMEX: Mr. Pablito M. Villegas, Enterprise Development Expert for PPP; Mr. Ronald F. Jabal, Social Marketing Expert; Atty. Jose Maria A. Ochave, Legal Expert; and Mr. Nicolas T. Catindig, Health Information Management Specialist.
The PRIMEX President and CEO, Ms. Elvira C. Ablaza, has been recently requested by SMEC to serve as Interim Team Leader after the resignation of their designated Team Leader effective 18 February 2011. She has been leading the preparations for the TA Project Scoping, Visioning, and Teambuilding (PSVT) Workshop planned for 23-24 February 2011 at the Richmonde Hotel in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.