Revolutionizing Primary Healthcare Delivery in Uttar Pradesh
Today, the government of Uttar Pradesh took a critical step toward strengthening primary healthcare services in the region, launching a call for proposals for a new public-private partnership that could revolutionize local healthcare service delivery.
Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India, with some of the country’s poorest health indicators. Residents there face daunting health challenges—the state has the highest incidence of child malnutrition in the country, high infant mortality and prevalence of infectious diseases, and limited access to safe water supplies and sanitation. Primary healthcare in the state is inadequate. Many government health centers are insufficiently staffed and lack the medicines, drugs, and medical equipment to minister to patients effectively.
Earlier this year, the government pioneered a new initiative—the Primary Health Care Pilot Project—that enlists the support of the private sector to improve primary healthcare. The program, which will be piloted in select districts, will increase the use of primary health care services in public facilities, reduce out of pocket expenditures, strengthen the quality of care, and improve health outcomes overall. Today, the government officially launched its Request for Proposal for a System Manager to help implement the pilot program.
ACCESS Health International was a proud partner of the government in the development of the program. With the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, ACCESS Health undertook an initial assessment of healthcare delivery services in the region, including a comprehensive analysis of existing facilities, operations, and availability of medicines. Based on this assessment, the state government committed itself, at the very highest levels, to exploring new partnerships with the private sector to improve primary care and to developing the pilot program.
ACCESS Health is honored to be a part of the supporting team for the Primary Health Care Pilot Project. We encourage all interested parties to join the pre bid discussions in Lucknow on September 26th and to submit proposals. The program may be expanded to other geographic blocks in the state, based on its initial success.