Book review: K. B. Saxena (Ed.), Private Sector Participation in Public Services: Health
| Published date | 01 June 2024 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00195561241236065 |
| Author | Madhu Nagla |
| Date | 01 June 2024 |
Book Reviews
K. B. Saxena (Ed.), Private Sector Participation in Public Services: Health.
Noida: Aakar Books, 2022, 293 pp., `995. ISBN 978-93-50002-761-5
(Hardbound).
The present volume under review on Private Sector Participation in Public Services
presents the dominant discourse on public–private health services. It simultaneously
highlights the critical evaluation of private health services and their profit-making
strategies. In all, this volume contains eleven chapters excluding an introduction by
the editor of the book. Chapters are based on analytical studies of data drawn from
primary and secondary sources gathered through field visits. In the introductory
chapter, K.B. Saxena introduces the theme of participation of the sector in the public
sphere. It explains the chronology of the public–private partnership (PPP) model of
development along with its regulatory mechanisms. Existing models of PPP are
recommended with a view to overcoming the weaknesses of the public health sector
services—inefficiency, lack of coverage and poor quality. The rationale for PPP is
evaluated in terms of expansion of services to undeserved areas, improved access to
services, better quality of healthcare, competent governance and monitoring effec-
tiveness of regulatory arrangements. The health services have also been critically
assessed largely as government failure. Concerns are raised on reforms and particu-
larly in respect of access of the marginalised sections, SCs/STs, women, children,
minorities and disabled persons to services.
Prabhat Patnaik attempts to highlight the ‘public’ and ‘private’ in provisioning
of public health services in terms of conceptual issues related to democracy, indi-
vidualisation, direct public provisioning without any discrimination and the
resource constraints.
Syeda Hameed’s chapter presents the elaboration of PPPs which are successful
as well as some which are not successful. She argues that whenever PPPs are
carried out in collaboration with NGOs or non-prot organisations, the results
were visibly more benecial to the people. She recommends a ‘4P’ process that is
PPP with people’s participation.
Kuldeep Mathur points out at length on institutional consequences of the transfor-
mation that is taking place as a result of shift from a state management of economy
and society to a neoliberal theory of political and economic practices. It is with special
reference to the education and health and deliberates in whether the issues faced by the
two sectors can be resolved by the new institutional arrangements. He concludes with
Indian Journal of Public
Administration
70(2) 424–439, 2024
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DOI: 10.1177/00195561241236065
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