Following a meeting between Dr. Enrique T. Ona, Secretary of Health, and Geoffrey Hamilton, Chief of UNECE’s Public-Private Partnerships Section, at the Department of Health, Manila, Philippines, the International Specialist Centre of Excellence on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Health announced its decision to complete its Guide on Best Practices in PPP in health by the end of this year.  This Guide will be of great interest to member states. The Centre will undertake this work as well as support the next stage, which is the development of international standards in this area through the work of the Project Teams, in cooperation with the UNECE International PPP Centre of Excellence. The Specialist Centre was established by the Ministry of Health in Manila in 2012 under the auspices of the UNECE International PPP Centre of Excellence.  The latter is currently elaborating international standards in PPPs, based on ‘Best Practices Guides’ that are prepared by International Specialist Centres.
In this endeavour, the Centre will build on the country’s highly successful experiences in the procurement of hospital facilities through its modernization and upgrading programme (cancer centres, orthopaedics and in dialysis as well as in primary healthcare clinics). The Centre will cooperate extensively with the Ministries of Health of the region and globally, thus fostering South-South Cooperation in health. The Centre has received full support from the WHO, ADB, UNDP and the EU delegation in the Philippines, have provided a financial grant to support its activities.
These international standards in PPP in Health will both boost investment into Health and save lives. For example, one of the standards to be developed will be a model entitled ‘’ last building standing’’, where in regions devastated by natural disasters, citizens can be rescued by teams of doctors housed in a multitasked building operating as both a hospital and a command centre and powered by solar energy. The need for such a building emerged following the country’s experience of the devastation caused by the Hurricane Yolanda. The UNECE International PPP Centre will ensure that these best practices and standards are shared internationally with countries facing similar natural disasters and will reduce considerably the loss of life in the immediate aftermath of such catastrophes. 
In addition, the Centre will address innovative PPP areas where there country has had success such as telemedicine, which allows for treatment to be delivered to remote areas of the archipelago. The Centre will also outline a PPP model for building the capacity of senior management to run hospitals successfully.  Speaking about the Centre, Dr Enrique T. Ona declared that this initiative will play a crucial role in improving health in the country and will also support the development of better PPP healthcare programmes in other developing countries.
Geoffrey Hamilton stated that ‘’the International PPP Centre of Excellence will greatly benefit from the inputs of the Specialist Centre on PPPs in Health in Manila, given the considerable experience of the country in delivering successful PPPs.’’
For further information, please visit: http://www.unece.org/ceci-welcome/areas-of-work/public-private-partners…
Or contact Tony Bonnici: [email protected].
Note to editors
The UNECE International PPP Centre of Excellence was established in February 2012 to develop global standards in PPPs standards to help governments develop practical actions and projects that can contribute to the Millennium Development Goals and the Sustainable Development Goals that will supersede these in 2015. It cooperates with a number of Specialist Centres, each focusing on a specific area.
The International Specialist Centre on PPPs in Health in the Philippines is a strategic partner of the UNECE International PPP Centre of Excellence in the collection of best practices and in developing the standards.  The Centre has already signed a MoU with the Department of Health and will soon sign a Contribution Agreement with the same Department to make its Centre on PPPs in health fully operational. To this end, the Department of Health has appointed a number of officials to the Centre, including its Director, Mr Celso Manangan.