The motivations for participation in public–private partnerships for the provision of tuberculosis treatment in South Africa

Abstract

There is increasing interest in public–private partnerships (PPPs) generally, and more specifically for the provision of tuberculosis (TB) treatment, yet little is known about the motivations for such partnerships and the nature of the incentives that are required to achieve a desirable outcome of the partnerships. Using the new institutional economics approach, this study examines the motivations for participation in existing and potential models of PPPs for the provision of TB treatment in South Africa. Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with private providers and government officials. Both current and potential private partners were interviewed. The study found that private providers in existing and potential partnerships appear to have both financial and non-financial motivations for participation in partnership for the provision of TB. For a partnership to be successful, in addition to sufficient motivation, the level of competition between private providers, regulatory framework, and social and political awareness becomes increasingly important.

Keywords:

• public–private partnerships
• incentives
• tuberculosis
• South Africa

Acknowledgements

The United Nations Development Programme/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases provided funds for this study. We thank the officials of the South African Department of Health, the mining companies and the NGOs we gave generously of their time, information and expertise. We also thank Gavin Mooney for his comments on earlier version of this paper.