Urban poor will continue to enjoy primary healthcare services as Asian Development Bank has approved additional loan financing of $110 million for the project.
As originally financed in 2012 with a $50 million ADB loan and $20 million cofinancing, it is one of the largest PPP projects for primary healthcare delivery in South Asia.
According to a review in 2015, the project has been providing services to more than 23 million clients, of whom 74% were female, and has constructed a network of 180 health facilities and 224 satellite clinics. The project is also building experience in the management and contracting of health service delivery, as well as monitoring and evaluation systems.
The review concluded that the project merits continuation and expansion to ensure that the growing demand for healthcare in urban areas is met, says a press release.
The project is recognised as an innovative model of partnership between the government, which contracts out health service delivery, and service providers (mainly nongovernment organisations).
As originally envisaged, the 2012 project covers 10 cities and four municipalities representing about 17% of the total 57 million urban population.
The additional financing will cover the cost of a five-year extension to assist the government to strengthen local health systems and continue to expand the PPP system of contracting to service providers.
It expands coverage to an additional city and 10 municipalities, and will build eight additional reproductive healthcare centers and 24 primary healthcare centers.
“ADB’s support to the government-led Urban Primary Health Care Services Delivery Project approved in 2012 has been filling a vacuum created by the lack of urban public primary healthcare by increasing access to quality services, especially for poor households,” said ADB Social Sector Specialist Brian Chin.