Health PPPs: a “buoyant market” in Uzbekistan?

Public-private partnerships: the preferred option for Uzbekistan

There is a considerable appetite for private investment in large public infrastructure which transcends regions of the world or levels of economic development of countries.

This, coupled with a policy commitment to beat the SDGs clock, may in part explain the growing interest for complex contractual arrangements that marry the procurement of infrastructure-related stream of services and tapping into private finance and/or investments.

This is the case for Uzbekistan, which together with the support of multilateral organizations such as the World Bank fully embraces the use of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) to develop infrastructure in areas such as healthcare, waste water or education.

As mentioned recently by Partnerships Bulletin publication: A source close to the government said the market is “really buoyant” and that with more reforms and progress that space will become “even more vibrant”.

This is bolstered by a Presidential commitment to make Uzbekistan a “leading emerging market PPP destination” as part of a broader political agenda to create an open and internationally attractive economy.

This policy is also underpinned by confidence in the capacity to the private sector to deliver across sectors, which not only led to tailored PPP legislation enacted in 2021 and leading to circa 30 active PPPs projects but also emphasized on privatization of public services.

With Uzbekistan set on transforming its healthcare system with a view to better address noncommunicable diseases and the paucity of available cancer services, this may mean an accrued participation of private health partners to the design, operation and delivery of health services through important capital projects.