PSP-One’s Kenya Private Health Sector Assessment

In January 2009, the Abt Associates-led PSP-One project sent a team to Kenya to conduct a two-week assessment of the private health sector. The assessment trip is part of a larger policy dialogue process in which the Abt team:

1.) Conducted a stakeholder analysis and map key actors in the health sector.

2.) Assessed opportunities for greater private sector role in health services and products; and

3.) Facilitated a policy dialogue meeting using the key findings from the private sector assessment to identify potential public-private partnerships (PPPs).

The assessment team consisted of experts in key areas of the health sector, including Jeff Barnes, (Abt Associates – Team Leader and private supply chain), Rich Feeley (Boston University – Legal and regulatory policy), Kim McKeon (Banyan Global – Access to finance and business training), Dr. Nelson Gitonga, (Abt Consultant – Service provision and insurance thematic) and Shyami DeSilva (USAID – Private provider networks). Additionally, Barbara O'Hanlon (O'Hanlon Health Consulting) contributed to the team by conducting a pre-assessment trip to determine the policy environment and identify key stakeholders prior to the assessment team's trip.

The team interviewed a wide range of stakeholders and informants from government, the non-governmental sector, private providers at various levels, regulatory bodies, provider associations, the health insurance sector, and the finance sector. The team identified a number of ways for the Kenyan Government to improve its stewardship of the private sector, as well as some promising opportunities for the private sector that would benefit from donor support. Such findings will be detailed in an assessment report to be finalized in June 2009. In addition to USAID/Kenya, the team's findings were shared with the World Bank and the IFC, which have provided additional funding to Abt Associates Inc./O’Hanlon Health Consulting to facilitate a stakeholder dialogue around the results of the report and to create a forum in which to continue dialoging on potential PPPs. The first in a series of workshops was held in April 2009 to discuss the findings. The second workshop will be held in July 2009 to continue dialogue among key stakeholders.