Market-based Partnerships for Health (MBPH) project, funded by United States Agency for International Development (USAID), India, seeks to forge commercially sustainable partnerships with the private sector on a range of public health issues, including family planning, reproductive health, maternal and child health, tuberculosis, hygiene promotion, water and indoor air pollution.Launched in 2009, currently, the project covers the states of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand and Karnataka.

The project aims at enabling USAID/India to achieve its longer-term goal of building replicable and sustainable strategies and service delivery models that can be effectively scaled up and sustained through local resources to meet priority health needs. The main aim of the MBPH project is to engage the private sector, establish and expand upon partnerships with private sector entities, and utilize private sector approaches and strategies for delivering public health services to base of the pyramid populations.

MBPH is implemented by Abt Associates and its consortium of partners. These include Futures Group International, the Monitor Group, Population Services International and Banyan Global. Together, they bring over 20 years of experience in working with the private sector in India. The project expands upon Abt Associates' innovative work in India, implemented under the USAID funded Private Sector Partnerships-One (PSP-One) project (2004-2009).

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What is a Market-based Partnership for Health?

A Market-based Partnership for Health (MBPH) is a kind of Public-Private Partnership. It is a formal collaboration between the public and the non-public sectors (both commercial and non-profit), to regulate, finance or implement the delivery of health services, products, equipment, research, communications or consumer education. In recent years, there has been growing recognition that the private commercial sector can and should make a greater contribution to improving public health systems and outcomes. In contrast to some partnerships that are based on charity, Market-based Partnerships (MBP) leverage the revenue generating mechanisms of the private sector. These include distribution mechanisms, marketing and promotion, and product development, to deliver public health goods, services and information to those at the base of the pyramid and in underserved markets.

Compared to consumers in most other parts of the world, Indian consumers spend a higher proportion of their own money for healthcare in the private sector due to several factors, including consumer preferences and the limitations of the public health sector. Since the public sector on its own can not address all the health needs of the growing population of India, partnership with the private sector is emerging as a key strategy to address health needs.

Abt Associates is a mission-driven, global leader in research and program implementation in the fields of health, social and economic policy, and international development. Known for its rigorous approach to solving complex challenges, Abt Associates was ranked 19th among the top U.S. research organizations and as one of the top 25 global research firms in 2010. The employee-owned company has multiple offices in the U. S. and program offices in nearly 40 countries.