DAWN (Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era) had announced two new animation films that explore the impacts of public-private partnerships on healthcare systems, the latest additions to their multimedia project on corporate capture of healthcare systems.
“Winds of Change” is the story of a young girl awaiting the birth of her baby brother in a hospital in India where high out-of-pocket payments for services really need to be freely accessible.
“Luxury Destination” is about another pregnant young woman in Fiji, where access to antenatal care is limited because of public-private partnerships under which fees for essential services are being charged and the young woman’s mother tries to ensure she receives the care she needs.
In India, healthcare costs are a leading cause of poverty – 63% of expenditure is out of pocket. In response the government is developing health insurance PPPs, contracting hospitals to provide free services to eligible patients and then reimbursing the hospitals at fixed rates. Thus, private hospitals have an assured income. Local hospitals may no longer see local people, which forced them to have to travel further for care.
In Fiji, retired people have just learned that their pensions will be reduced so that the government can pay the fees for PPPs.
People are worried and angry. They can see that PPPs have reduced their access to health care one way or another.
SOURCE: DAWN. E-mail from comms.officer@dawnnet.org, 14 March 2024