Background

The Government of Bangladesh (GOB) has a wide network of health-care facilities. An extensive network of non-governmental organization (NGO) clinics augments this public sector system. For the past 30 years United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has supported NGO service delivery, as a result approximately 19% of the total population receives services through an NGO service site.

USAID-funded NGOs have developed the programmatic, technical and managerial capability to provide high quality essential service delivery (ESD) services that includes family planning, antenatal care, immunization, limited curative care (LCC), as well as emergency obstetric care (EmOC) and diagnostic services.

The next step in the evolution of NGO service delivery is to expand services and build financial sustainability. The Smiling Sun Franchise Program (SSFP) has been designed to address these issues.

About Smiling Sun Franchise Program (SSFP)

The Smiling Sun Franchise Program is a project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It is intended to complement the wide network of health-care facilities set up by the Government of Bangladesh resorting to an innovative approach to health care franchising. SSFP is committed to improve the quality of life of all Bangladeshis by providing superior, friendly and affordable health services in a sustainable manner.

To achieve relevant health outcomes, SSFP is jointly working with partnering NGOs to convert the existing network into a viable social health system. SSFP objective is to strengthen partnering organization’s quality of care while helping them to enhance their financial sustainability, thus enabling them to continue serving an important segment of the Bangladeshi society, including the poorest of the poor. The project uses a build-operate-transfer (BOT) methodology to set a plan for developing the Franchise Manager Organization into an operational entity so that it can fully assume franchise operations by the end of the project.

Currently 28 NGOs are providing health care services to women, children and youth through 320 static and 8,500 satellite clinics in 61 districts of Bangladesh. This network will continue to expand the volume and types of quality health care under ESD provided to the able-to-pay customers as well as underserved and poor clients.

By the fourth year of this project SSFP aims to generate sufficient income to support approximately 70% of the operational cost while maintaining access to those who cannot afford to pay for services.