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Achieving the Twin Objectives of Efficiency and Equity: Contracting Health Services in Cambodia

The Cambodia case study suggests that government contracting of the provision of health services to nongovernmental entities is not only feasible but can potentially increase the coverage of health services in a short time. Contracting could deliver interventions to reduce infant, child, and maternal mortality to more people and faster than conventional government service delivery mechanisms. The pilot study suggests, moreover, that efficiency gains in the provision of health services do not come at the expense of equity. Rather, improvement in efficiency appears to also lead to better access of health services by the poor, relieving them of the burden of health care expenditures.