What: Technical Workshop at the Best Western Resort Country Club
Where: Gurgaon, India
When: April 12-13, 2007

The Government of India/Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW), the German Development Bank (KfW), USAID/India, Packard Foundation, and Private Sector Partnerships-One (PSP-One) project* held a two-day workshop to provide a forum to share experiences with voucher programs. The workshop addressed lessons learned and gaps in knowledge to provide policy makers and program managers with the tools to assess the need for and feasibility of voucher schemes as well as their design and implementation.

Vouchers for health are a financing mechanism to subsidize the price of products and services for a target population. Several states in India and other countries are either implementing or considering the implementation of voucher programs to promote greater utilization of priority health services, such as maternal and reproductive health. However, there has been little dialogue between different implementers on the success and limitations of these schemes.

The technical workshop provided a forum for different stakeholders in India and other countries, primarily in the Asia/Near East region, to discuss issues involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of voucher schemes by:

• Promoting discussion and the exchange of innovative ideas on the need and usefulness of voucher schemes to improve health service delivery.
• Presenting and discussing different aspects of voucher schemes such as, assessing need, determining feasibility, developing design, identifying benefits and providers, contracting with private sector providers, implementing with a management agent, etc.
• Discussing experiences from India and other countries in the region and elsewhere.

Experiences were drawn from the Indian states of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh as well as other countries in the Asia/Near East region and elsewhere, including Cambodia, Vietnam, and Kenya. The workshop included presentations by invited speakers, panel discussions, and working groups that discussed specific issues on design and implementation of voucher programs. In addition, the open space or information bazaar provided an opportunity to showcase resources from several different voucher programs.

A post-workshop will follow and materials will be available on this web site.

Workshop Resources

Additional Resources