26
Jan

South Asia is one of the most privatized health regions in the world, with a majority of outpatient and a large and growing share of inpatient care delivered by private providers. Yet, engagement with the private sector is often fragmented, unregulated, and based on passive purchasing arrangements. This has led to inefficiencies, variable quality, and high out-of-pocket spending. At the same time, the region is undergoing profound demographic shifts: populations are aging, the burden of noncommunicable diseases is rising, fertility rates are declining, and traditional family-based care arrangements are weakening. These trends are transforming health needs and creating fiscal and service delivery pressures. Without reforms, fragmented private provision risks deepening inequities and leaving vulnerable groups underserved.Strategic purchasing — where pooled public financing is used to contract services from private providers based on explicit quality, access, and efficiency criteria — offers an opportunity to improve value for money, ensure accountability, and expand access to underserved populations. Global evidence (e.g., Thailand, Turkey) shows that strategic purchasing can drive improvements in both quality and equity. South Asia has promising innovations as well, including India’s PM-JAY and scattered public-private partnership experiences across the region. However, scaling and sustaining these approaches requires stronger governance, payment reforms, and digital systems for monitoring and accountability. This session will convene policymakers, researchers, and development partners to explore lessons, innovations, and future directions for strategic purchasing of healthcare from the private sector in South Asia.