Governance of the private healthcare sector in low- and middle-income countries: a scoping review of approaches, effectiveness, and enablers

Abstract

The private sector’s role in healthcare is growing across many settings. However, the sector remains under-governed in many contexts, particularly in low- and middle income countries. Further, the understanding of the evidence base relating to private sector governance remains inadequate, with limited information available on the effectiveness of various approaches, and factors which facilitate or hinder their functioning. This scoping review was commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) to address this gap by synthesising the available literature on the governance of private healthcare financing and delivery.