It will be amazing when well-intentioned and motivated organisations and individuals can come together and accomplish our nation’s vision for ‘Optimal Oral health for all by 2020’ together in public-private partnerships. The private sector plays a significant role in delivering oral health care to people, where government cannot fully meet the oral health needs of the people with public resources alone. However, the private sector cannot be replacement for effective public-sector. Both sectors have roles to play in addressing the complex and difficult challenges faced by developing countries like India to expand access to high-priority oral health services to underserved populations.
Public-private partnerships are a unique ‘Call-for-Action’ effort of developing a framework that addresses disparities in the healthcare delivery and access to care in communities around the nation. These partnerships blend political, economic and social forces to raise awareness of the oral health needs of underserved populations and to provide inspiration for a public consciousness. Effective public-private partnerships operate on a system of shared values, purpose and accountability. The collective and complementary talents of private health agencies, private industry, NGOs, non-profit organisations, health care provides, educators, media, community leaders and concerned citizens are important to eliminate health disparities of the country.
The private sector and public sector each has unique characteristics and strengths. Linking the two can result in a creative synergy capitalizing on the talent and resources of each partner. In addition, efforts are needed within each sector to increase the capacity for programme development, for building partnerships and for leveraging programmes.
A sustained effort is needed right now to build the nation’s oral health infrastructure to ensure that all sectors of society--the public, private practitioners, and government personnel--have sufficient knowledge, expertise, and resources to design, implement and monitor oral health programmes. Programmes that affect oral and general health-- such as tobacco control, diet counselling, health education aimed at pregnant women and new mothers and support for use of oral facial protection for sports—can benefit from collaborations among public health and health care practicing communities.
Successful partnering at all levels of society will require efforts to:
Good oral health is vital to good overall health. Poor oral health negatively affects growth, development, learning, nutrition, and communication, self-esteem for all sections of society, young and old. India exposes disparities in oral health, with lower income groups having higher disease rates, limited or no access to care. Indian Dental Association (IDA) therefore calls -for- Private-Public participation to accurately identify the needs, monitors outcomes, decreases disparities, improves access to care and ultimately improves oral health.
The Indian Dental Association (IDA) affirms that oral health is essential to general health and well-being and thus the need to take action by calling for Private-Public-Participation. IDA aims that
Optimal Oral health for all, acknowledging oral health is a fundamental part of general health and well-being.
To be passionate in promoting oral health, eliminate oral health disparities and improve quality of life. Private-Public-Partnership is must as a force to enhance the nation’s overall health and well-being, IDA urges that oral health promotion, disease prevention and oral health care has a presence in all health policy agendas set at local, state and national levels. For this to happen, the public, dental health professionals and government must understand that oral health is essential to general health and well-being at every stage of life.
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