Summary

World Health Partners is a not-for-profit health service delivery organization that uses social franchising to link existing village-level providers through business relationships and technology to high levels of care in order to provide comprehensive, quality health care to rural communities.

Program goals

World Health Partners's (WHP) goal is to provide health and reproductive health services in low-income countries by harnessing local market forces to work for the poor. Leveraging existing social and economic infrastructure, we utilize the latest advances in communication, diagnostic and medical technology to establish large scale, cost-effective health service networks. We focus on serving rural and other vulnerable communities.

Key program components

WHP’s social franchise consists of a tiered health and family planning service delivery network that brings together individual private providers, both formally and informally qualified. Existing informal providers (SkyCare providers or better resourced SkyHealth Centers), situated deep in rural areas and in parts of towns where the poor predominate, are linked to highly qualified formal doctors, in virtual Central Medical Facilities. SkyCare providers are also linked to nearby urban formal providers at WHP-owned or approved Franchised Clinics and Franchised Diagnostic Clinics for referrals. Clients pay out of pocket for most services, offered at low prices. For the neediest clients, services are subsidized by WHP which are currently supported by donors or from government pro-poor programs. The private providers’ commitment to providing quality services, especially for certain mandated services (depending on program objectives), is obtained by co-opting them into profitable health franchises.

Flagship Program: Engaging Private Providers to Improve Management of Tuberculosis, Visceral Leishmaniasis, Childhood Pneumonia, and Diarrhea in Bihar

A 5-year project, funded by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, was launched in December 2011 in Bihar - the third largest state in India, and one of the poorest. A central characteristic of this program is its focus on improving the detection and treatment of four focus diseases: tuberculosis, visceral leishmaniasis, childhood pneumonia, and diarrhea. The project’s goal is to increase coverage of appropriate interventions for the four diseases by 15 to 20 percent among the region’s population through WHP’s social franchise network that would cover at least 25 out of the 38 districts in Bihar, and serve up to 70 million people.

Pilot Project in Kenya:

WHP replicated their model in other parts of India and has began a pilot project in Kenya. The Kenyan project is 4 months old and during this period a greater focus was placed on network creation resulting in the WHP network in place with 12 facilities and 80 mobile providers (CHVs). Additionally, 6 facilities and 16 CHVs enrolled under the Sky project as of October 31, 2014.

From June- October 2014, there were 478 tele-consultations. Stationed facilities owned by Clinical officers and Nursing officers provide most of the OPD and FP services and connect through tele-medicine as per the need. CHVs connect their patients with CMF using mobile phones and refer to the catchment facility (a Sky Center or nearest public facility as per the need).