Alayed Tareq M, Alrumeh Assem S, Alkanhal Ibrahim A, Alhuthil Raghad T
Department of Critical Care Medicine, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Laboratory, Prince Sultan Military Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi J Med Med Sci. 2024 Apr-Jun;12(2):125-133. doi: 10.4103/sjmms.sjmms_510_23. Epub 2024 Apr 5.
A notable shift in healthcare policy is healthcare privatization, which refers to the transfer of ownership, management, or provision of healthcare services from the public sector to private entities.
To provide a narrative examination of the impact of privatization on various dimensions of healthcare, including quality, equity, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness. Policymakers can utilize the findings of this study to make well-informed decisions regarding privatization strategies.
A systematic review was implemented using the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. Studies conducted from January 2000 to January 2023 in developing or developed countries that assessed the impact of healthcare privatization on population health within public sector institutions were included.
Eleven studies were included. The findings revealed diverse perspectives on the impact of healthcare privatization, with four studies (36.4%) supporting privatization (two of these were conducted in Saudi Arabia), six studies (54.5%) opposing it (three of these were conducted in European countries), and one study (9.1%) taking a neutral stance. Two studies investigated the impact on healthcare quality, and both revealed that privatization negatively impacts uninsured patients and low-income populations. In addition, five studies investigated the healthcare access and equity dimensions following privatization: one was in favor, one was neutral, and three were opposing it. Four studies investigated the cost-effectiveness dimension, with three in favor and one study opposing it.
This review highlights different perspectives on healthcare privatization. While studies, as those from Saudi Arabia, suggest benefits in terms of efficiency and innovation, others, particularly from European countries, emphasize negative consequences such as inequity and reduced quality. This emphasizes the need for more investigations to understand privatization's impact on healthcare.
医疗保健政策的一个显著转变是医疗保健私有化，它指的是医疗保健服务的所有权、管理或提供从公共部门向私人实体的转移。
对私有化在医疗保健各个方面的影响进行叙述性考察，包括质量、公平性、可及性和成本效益。政策制定者可以利用本研究的结果就私有化战略做出明智的决策。
使用以下数据库进行系统综述：PubMed、Scopus和谷歌学术。纳入了2000年1月至2023年1月在发展中国家或发达国家进行的、评估医疗保健私有化对公共部门机构内人群健康影响的研究。
纳入了11项研究。研究结果揭示了对医疗保健私有化影响的不同观点，4项研究（36.4%）支持私有化（其中2项在沙特阿拉伯进行），6项研究（54.5%）反对私有化（其中3项在欧洲国家进行），1项研究（9.1%）持中立立场。两项研究调查了对医疗保健质量的影响，两者均表明私有化对未参保患者和低收入人群有负面影响。此外，五项研究调查了私有化后的医疗保健可及性和公平性方面：一项支持，一项中立，三项反对。四项研究调查了成本效益方面，三项支持，一项反对。
本综述突出了对医疗保健私有化的不同观点。虽然像来自沙特阿拉伯的研究表明在效率和创新方面有好处，但其他研究，特别是来自欧洲国家的研究，强调了不公平和质量下降等负面后果。这强调了需要进行更多调查以了解私有化对医疗保健的影响。
