New NGO Partners for Health Sector Reform in Central Asia: Family Group Practice Associations in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. Special Initiatives Report No. 19

摘要

Economic decline in the former Soviet Central Asian republics of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan is leading the governments in those New Independent States to seek private and nonprofit partners in health care delivery. Family Group Practice Associations (FGPAs)-legally sanctioned, non-governmental entities that are nonprofit, self-governing, and voluntary-are being established to serve as intermediaries between government and new, primary care-oriented family group practices. This study looks at the development of FGPAs at the local and national levels in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It describes the financing and structure of the FGPAs, their relationships with the state and with their members, and the role of international donors in their development. Based on interviews conducted in the region in early 1999 and on documents reviewed, the study assesses the effectiveness of the partnerships and examines conditions affecting the success and shortcomings of the collaborations. It identifies preliminary lessons learned from the Central Asian experiences and evaluates the role of the organizations for the future.