Managing Markets for Health Course in India

Over the next five days, faculty from the World Bank and the University of Edinburg are conducting a global course called Managing Markets for Health. The course is organized in partnership with ACCESS Health International. Thirty top health policy practitioners from the different states in India are attending the course in New Delhi, India, along with international participants from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania.

The weeklong course was inaugurated this morning by CK Mishra, Mission Director, National Health Mission, and Additional Secretary, Government of India. At the start of the course, Mr. Mishra called for increased participation, risk sharing, and opprotunities for private sector investments in health to supplement ongoing efforts by the government. A practical and programmatic view of health opportunities and a long term framework are necessary to meet these objectives. Mr. Mishra encouraged a goal orientated approach for the course. Mr. Mishra also shared his hope that this course will bridge the asymmetry of information and build trust among key constituents. Over the next five days, the course will provide a framework for analyzing market forces. The course will look at case studies providing a blend of evidence and practical expertise available globally.

The curriculum of the course focuses on the challenges of implementing policies to bring about changes in the operation or a market that contribute to sustainable health and equity goals.

The course will follow few objectives:

To introduce a framework – comprised of market aware analytics, external and indirect policy tools, and consultative policy processes used to shift the operation of health markets in a desired direction

To apply the new framework and its concepts to examples from developed and developing countries health systems

To learn how to design health policies and supporting programs that reflect existing knowledge about how particular health markets operate and how markets respond to particular policy tools.

Lessons from the workshop will ensure that participants work with decision makers and policymakers in their respective countries to make healthcare more equitable, accountable, and accessible through public private partnerships.