Introduction
In most countries, private sector and private businesses are more than governmental organizations and businesses. They contribute a large amount of tax to the government and employ the residents of the country and even import employees. This makes a significant contribution to the country’s overall economy, and therefore, these businesses are essential in the country’s management. The sector also faces many challenges as they try to meet the expectations of its homeland government (Harašta, 2018). The challenges are sometimes specific to a particular industry depending on the types of goods or services they offer. For instance, the government can be strict with business people who venture into the health sector to protect the public since this is a sensitive area. Other sectors like gambling companies that offer addictive services are also regulated through high taxation. This paper presents the role and challenges facing these private health sectors in securing homeland government expectations regarding critical infrastructure, continuity of operations planning, partnerships, information sharing, and challenges.
The Role of Private Health Facilities in Securing the Homeland Government Expectations
Maintaining Critical Infrastructure
Critical infrastructure of a country refers to the assets and systems, both virtual and physical, vital to a country that, when destructed, have a direct impact on the national economy, public health, security, and safety or combination of any of them. Private health care facilities have a role in maintaining these assets and systems (Laugé et al., 2018). They provide healthcare services to the public, which is part of the critical infrastructure. The government, therefore, expects them to deliver quality services that are not harmful to the citizens.
Medical doctors and pharmacists must have a valid medical license to operate such businesses, and even the employees they acquire are supposed to be trained and licensed medical practitioners. In the case of pandemics like COVID19, the ministry of health expects the private healthcare providers to cooperate with the government and the public sector to educate and save the citizens’ lives (Buryk, 2021). They are supposed to buy their drugs and hospital equipment from authorized government dealers to ensure that they are safe for use. These requirements must be met for a healthcare facility to be allowed to offer services to people. The sector also contributes to the country’s economy, helping maintain it by providing job opportunities to individuals and paying taxes (Kim & Oh, 2020). The sectors also advise the government on safety measures that are supposed to be taken concerning any unhealthy situation in the country. Maintenance of all the standards ensures that the critical infrastructure is stable and the government is safe.
Continuity of Operations Planning
The private healthcare sector has to play specific roles to enable the government to ensure continuity of operations. Continuity of operations planning involves encouraging people to plan and implement solutions on how critical services and operations will be provided in all circumstances, including disasters (Kim & Oh, 2020). This is important for any business because it ensures survival before and after difficult situations. The plan involves procedures for establishing alternative methods of surviving and providing critical services. Private healthcare facilities have helped the government in the continuity of operations and planning in many ways (Gabler et al., 2017). Sometimes due to pandemics and outbreaks of diseases, the public healthcare system cannot take care of the needs of sick people. These people, therefore, seek medication from private hospitals, and the mortality rate is reduced. Without the help of these private institutions, the government can be overstretched and may lack solutions to such problems. The facilities also provide high-quality services needed by patients with critical issues.
Partnerships
The partnership involves an arrangement between two institutions or more to provide services or make the process easier. Private healthcare facilities partner with government and government facilities and parastatals to offer and better their services. This is a role that the sector plays in helping the government achieve its goals in most countries (Seppänen et al., 2018). Programs such as government health insurance cover require private hospitals to accept these insurance cards at their facilities. This encourages the public to pay for the insurance cover as they can use it in any hospital of their choice. Retrieving money from such processing controlled by the government requires partnership. These facilities have to be licensed by the ministry of health for them to operate. It is through collaboration with the government that they receive licenses and drugs to use.
Partnerships with international institutions also bring money to the government through taxing of imported goods. Cooperation in offering education for the employees is done through collaboration with the government. Partnership with public health facilities ensures that both public and private are empowered for the benefit of the people (Lönnroth et al., 2017). Receiving funds from the government to improve the facilities is also possible, even if they are loans. The government also learns new ways of enhancing services from the private health care facilities in terms of new technology due to close supervision and efficiency in the private sector.
Information Sharing
Information sharing is a vital role of private health care facilities to homeland government. The health sector deals with continuous research and difficulties due to new diseases and body conditions. Collaboration between scientists in both the private and public sector improves health services. They can also get a cure for diseases through sharing of information. The government can also learn about the problems facing the sector and help them in different ways by sharing information (Goethem & Easton, 2021). New rules and standards set by the government are quickly followed when the information is shared. The directors of these healthcare facilities can easily follow the rules with the proper understanding of the intentions and wishes of the government. This helps the government in regulating the private health care businesses and protecting its citizens. Sharing the challenges among the health care providers in private and public makes the work easier.
Challenges Facing Private Health Facilities
Over Taxation
Private health care facilities are highly taxed as compared to public health care facilities. This makes their services to be costly and hence scaring customers away. They are also competing with the public sector, which has been subsidized by the government, making the services accessible or affordable. The private sector buys drugs that must be authorized and sold by a government agency, increasing the cost.
Job Requirements
The government requires health practitioners to have a valid license before opening a health care facility. Many people have the money to start businesses but are not health care practitioners. Those with the license have no money to start businesses, and they are engaged in government facilities (Mwakabole et al., 2019). They are also supposed to employ highly qualified personnel who mostly prefer government facilities because of the high salary paid (Masakure & Gerhardt, 2016). If the private sectors opt to pay a specialist, they must increase profit to keep the business activities and make a profit for the owner instead of just paying the workers.
Few Customers
Private hospitals are too expensive than public hospitals even though their services are of high quality. Most low-class people cannot afford their services and are therefore left with the alternative of going to the public sector (Hoedoafia, 2020). This lowers the number of patients in the private sector. Most poor people are forced to go to private hospitals if they cannot get the services they want at public hospitals, and their lives are at risk.
Conclusion
The private sector is crucial in a country as it creates an environment and provides funds for the government through taxation. Therefore, the governments should work together with the private sector to create a conducive business environment that ensures that they make the highest profit. Lowering the tax that these institutions pay can also encourage new investors that will boost the country’s economy (Putri, 2018). The government cannot maintain critical infrastructure without the help of the private sector in terms of information partnerships and the lessons learned from their challenges. The private health care sector is one of the critical sectors that should work closely with the government in providing health care and safety for the people. Lack of finances should not limit citizens’ access to quality and affordable health care services, whether in the private or public sector.
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