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St. Kitts and Nevis Health Systems and Private Sector Assessment 2011

This report reviews the primary recommendations that came out of an integrated health systems and private sector assessment conducted in St. Kitts and Nevis in 2011 through a joint effort of the Health Systems 20/20 and SHOPS projects. Recommendations include:

• Engage stakeholders, including health care consumers, around policy and service delivery issues in more proactive ways.
• Clarify and enforce guidelines on dual practice in the public and private sector.
• Conduct a National Health Accounts (NHA) estimation and institutionalize capacity for NHA so that expenditure information is routinely available for evidence-based planning.
• Strengthen billing systems at public facilities to recoup costs from private insurers and patients with ability to pay.
• Improve referral systems and coordination between health system levels and sectors.
• Prioritize HIV/AIDS stigma reduction efforts for the community at large as well as public and private providers. Continue to promote integrated primary-level HIV services to enhance access and reduce stigma.
• Introduce a national training database to track training and identify training needs.
• Develop a computerized inventory management system in the public sector.
• Strengthen mechanisms for coordinating with and/or procuring from private sector pharmacies to mitigate stock-outs.
• Explore options for creating an electronic health information system that integrates and links routine reporting forms.
• Conduct a “mapping” of the private health sector to serve as a foundation for increased engagement.