The Development of Appropriate People Public Private Partnership for Managing on Primary Health Care

Abstract

This study aimed to study attitude of health workforce toward primary health care management to examine, synthesize, and develop appropriate model of people public private partnership (PPPP) for managing primary health care. Quantitative and qualitative methods were used in this study. Data collection was conducted in two study areas namely Kuchinarai district, Kalasin province and Dansai district, Loei province. Samples in this study included 61 participants for quantitative and 44 participants for qualitative data collection. They were from community, private and government sectors. Nonetheless, they were identified as executives, implementing staff and common people. The result revealed that samples had relatively high positive attitude toward partnership among people, public, and private sectors. The samples thought that contributing factors of partnership model for primary health care management included 1) national policy, 2) strong health leadership, 3) homogeneous and close-relationship community, and 4) natural and man-made environment capitals and social capital. While hindering factors that the samples figured out were 1) the red-tape system, and 2) lack of resources (human, money, material and knowledge). Processes of developing PPPP for primary health care management included 1) developing relationship among partners, 2) building trust and safety zone of working together, 3) having continuing knowledge communication, 4) empowering each other, 5) strengthening and expanding network, and 6) working together under the rules, regulations and committees. The samples believed that this partnership model could contribute to four dominant outcomes including 1) health outcome (not only access to services in the community), 2) economic outcome, 3) environmental outcome, and 4) learning and knowledge outcome. To materialize the model in other areas, the following two broad recommendations are proposed: 1) integration of the partnership model in the district health system (DHS) that could benefit primary health care in terms of human resource, budget and other resources efficiently; 2) all related stakeholders and their staff should acquire knowledge, skills and positive attitude toward partnership model among three sectors for primary health care management.