Forbes: The Roadblocks To Universal Health Coverage And How NGOs Can Help Remove Them
Pape Gaye, president and CEO of IntraHealth International

“…Forty years ago, the global health community committed to achieving primary health care for all by 2000. But today, about half of the world’s population still does not have full access to essential health services. Could public-private partnerships finally get us there? … How do we move from small- and mid-scale pilot partnerships between the public and private sectors to big, collaborative impact on global health? … Two things are stopping us: risk and trust. … With the right due diligence and dialogue, we can design partnerships that level the playing field between those who have the money and resources and those who have the reach. … This will be a long journey. We’ll need to take turns driving to get there in one piece. By building solid communication into our partnerships, we can agree who’s turn it is and when. I’m hoping that at next year’s [Africa Health Business Symposium (AHBS)], we’re not still talking about potential risks, but rather learning from the collaborations and investments that were seeded [at last month’s symposium] in Johannesburg. And after the global community descended on Astana for the Global Primary Health Care Conference in October, I hope multilateral agencies, donors, private-sector actors, government representatives, and country-level voices can continue the honest dialogue that builds the trust we need to succeed” (11/19).