Guidebook on Public-Private Partnership in Pharmacy

This guidebook offers readers a guide for the development of a public-private partnership (PPP) approach in pharmacy services through six simple, customizable steps. These are:

• Step 1: Determine needs and review pharmacy services in the area
• Step 2: Identify stakeholders and their roles
• Step 3: Develop a plan for the public-private partnership in pharmacy
• Step 4: Develop a social marketing plan
• Step 5: Conduct procurement
• Step 6: Implement the public-private partnership in pharmacy services (focusing on monitoring and evaluation).

Pharmacy services are an important component of a well-rounded health care and hospital systems. Through sustainable PPP in pharmacy services, people will have access to safe, effective, and affordable medicines.

The lessons and insights shared here are based on actual experiences with the local government of Northern Samar in the Philippines as it worked with a technical assistance team to develop a model for a PPP in pharmacy.

This guidebook is part of a series of knowledge management resources developed for organizations that wish to adopt PPP to address public health care needs. It was developed with the hope that it will inspire and encourage more organizations toward the development and implementation of their own PPP programs and enterprises in health.

About public-private partnerships

ADB, along with the people and institutions of Asia and the Pacific and the rest of the world, believes in the strength of partnerships and collective action. At the core of this belief is a desire to initiate and develop partnerships that will help governments address health care needs of growing populations, particularly women and children.

PPPs have evolved from this need to relate to one another and work together. Governments recognize that they cannot do the job alone, particularly in the health sector where new disease patterns and the impact of climate change demand innovative solutions, such as PPP in health programs and enterprises.