Today 24 March 2021, ahead of our virtual session on Universal Access to Healthcare: lessons learned from Public-Private Partnerships, GI-ESCR is part of about 100 CSOs co-signing a letter to the World Bank Group, calling on the institution to strengthen public health financing and refrain from promoting public-private partnerships in health care.

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown that public investment in health is urgent and crucial for states’ obligations to fulfil the right to health for all. The World Bank as well as the World Bank-hosted Global Financing Facility, have been contributors to countries’ health systems strengthening efforts with a view on urgent health challenges. However, some aspects of the World Bank contribution to development assistance deeply concern us. In line with the ‘Maximizing Finance for Development Strategy’, the World Bank Group has been promoting Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) with commercial companies as a preferred development strategy, including in healthcare, alongside with investments in private healthcare.

Co-signing organisations strongly urge the World Bank Group to focus on strengthening public health financing, and refrain from promoting PPPs in healthcare because of the associated risks to the public purse in the long run and the risk of worsening existing inequalities.

• Open the letter.

• Watch our event today our virtual session on Universal Access to Healthcare: lessons learned from Public-Private Partnerships