The first of step in this project’s implementation is launching a meeting, which is organized to articulate the purposes and process of the project, and to engage state and non-state health actors’ participation in the project’s implementation.
At the national level, PATH seeks and gains cooperation from national programs. At the provincial level, a coordinating team is established to coordinate and facilitate the project’s implementation. Teams generally compose of PATH focal persons, Staff Health Departments (PHD), Operational Districts (ODs), and Referral Hospitals (RHs). PATH in collaboration with national programs organizes training courses for coordinating members.
With financial support from PATH and technical support from national programs, the trained coordinators identity and engage for-profit private sectors such as private practitioners, pharmacists and drug store owners to form Public-Private Networks. After a network is established, coordinators roll out respective training courses for network members. The courses primarily focus on case management, such as recognizing suspected cases of disease, danger signs, and where, when, and how to refer clients to public facilities. Private providers are also trained on how to fill tuberculosis, malaria and abortion information sheets to make updated data available for coordinating teams.
Coordinating teams organize supervision on a regular basis to provide technical support to private partners. Public-Private Partner network meetings are quarterly organized to provide a platform for public and private providers to give updates on their work progress, and to discuss and address challenges encountered during implementation.
Incentive mechanisms, such as a lottery, are also established to encourage participation from private providers in referring severe malaria cases to public health facilities. The lottery event is arranged monthly and the winner (patient, private provider or public provider) receives prizes such as audiotapes, watches, or fans, or any other prize ranging from USD $20 to $30.
