A Call to Action to Engage the Private Sector for Equitable Delivery of the COVID-19 Vaccine

This post is authored by Susan Rae Ross, Sr. Private Sector Engagement Advisor, Office of Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition USAID Global Health Bureau; Dr. Folake Olayinka, Immunization Team Leader Office of Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition, USAID Global Health Bureau; Dr. Gaurav Sharma, Sr. Maternal, Newborn, Child Health Technical Advisor; and Dr. Christopher Morgan, Sr. Immunization Technical Advisor for the MOMENTUM Private Healthcare Delivery Project. It is the final installment of a four-part series examining engaging the private sector to improve immunization coverage. Access part one, part two, and part three.

The COVID-19 pandemic has stretched many health systems and reinforced the need to restore fundamental commitments to strong primary health care systems. In early 2021, the MOMENTUM suite of innovative awards funded by USAID called on countries to adopt a "whole-of-government" and "whole-of-society" response to the pandemic across public and private sectors. To support government collaboration with the private sector, MOMENTUM awards, including MOMENTUM Private Healthcare Delivery and MOMENTUM Routine Immunization Transformation and Equity, are working with immunization partners to document the evidence on and opportunities for effective private sector engagement in COVID-19 vaccine rollout. Robust evidence and documentation of private sector engagement in this space will enable governments and country stakeholders to engage in the partnerships that will strengthen health systems and approaches that will increase access and reach of immunization services. Please see the call-to-action document originally posted on the Health Systems Governance Collaborative site.

Join Marketlinks, USAID/India, and MOMENTUM Private Healthcare Delivery for an upcoming webinar where we will hear about practical examples leveraging the private sector for greater immunization program reach. The webinar will also examine how to build on the pre-pandemic evidence on private sector engagement experiences and innovative approaches with COVID-19 vaccines rollout to build stronger, more resilient immunization programs in the future.

For further information, please check out these resources:

• World Health Organization. WHO Guidance Note: Engagement of private providers in immunization service delivery. Considerations for National Immunization Programmes.
• Sood N., Wagner Z. For-profit sector immunization service provision: does low provision create a barrier to take-up? Health Policy Planning, 2013 Oct 1;28(7): 730–8.
• Mitrovich R., Marti M., Watkins M., Duclos P. A Review of the Private Sector’s Contribution to Immunization Service Delivery in Low, Middle, and High-Income Countries. World Health Organization.
• Leveraging the private sector to scale up COVID-19 vaccine roll out. Published April 22, 2021.
• Morgan R., Ensor T., Waters H. Performance of private sector health care: implications for universal health coverage. Lancet, 2016;388(10044):606-12.