The latest initiative of WHP is under a publically-funded innovation called the Patient Provider Support Agency (PPSA) project. It focuses on implementing TB prevention and treatment interventions with extensive government support thereby marking an important milestone in the health sector for scaled-up, sustainable programming. The PPSA model replicates on a much larger scale the design of the Public Private Interface Agency (PPIA) project which WHP implemented earlier with support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The PPIA project demonstrated in one district of Bihar (Patna, 6.5 million population) how integrating various stakeholders through a digital platform could achieve high impact and efficiency. (The good results of the Patna project prompted the central government to expand the model to over 50 locations across the country.)

Bihar:

The Bihar PPSA project, launched in June 2020 with state government funding. The Phase-I of this three-year initiative aimed to engage with private sector providers to provide treatment and care to privately treated patients covering a population of 25.2 million across eight districts: Bhagalpur, Bhojpur, Gaya, Katihar, Munger, Nalanda, Patna, and Saharsa. By January 31, 2024, the project successfully reached 1,28,288 TB patients

Phase-II of the project, February, 2024 onwards our program limited to five key districts: Bhagalpur, Gaya, Katihar, Munger, and Saharsa with covering population of 13.8 million. The deliverables of the project against the set deliverables till December 31, 2024, a total of 18,123 (78%) persons with TB

Delhi:

In August 2024, WHP started implementing the PPSA project in Delhi, targeting 13 NTEP districts derived from seven revenue districts. This initiative spans a population of 11.8 million across South Delhi, New Delhi, South East Delhi, West Delhi, South West Delhi, North Delhi, and North West Delhi. Focused on engaging private providers, the project aims to reach over 7,500 individuals with TB. By December 31, 2024, it had successfully notified 1,146 persons with TB.

Punjab:

WHP has been implementing the PPSA project since April 2021 in two districts of Punjab—Amritsar and Patiala—initially covering a population of 4.3 million. Over time, the project has expanded to include three additional districts: Ludhiana, Jalandhar, and Bathinda, bringing the total population coverage to 13.5 million. As of December 31, 2024, the project has successfully notified 25,218 individuals with TB, achieving 104% of the target.

The PPSA approach validates WHP’s long-held belief that the foundational premise of a scale-up project should be that it is over only when the problem it seeks to address is over. However, most donor-supported projects end when the funding runs out. To remedy this, WHP has been advocating the active participation of the government right from outset of demonstration projects to create ownership which will make transition to a sustainable programme more likely since governments will always maintain interest and allocate resources for such interventions. The PPSA innovation not only attracts government support to strengthen field processes, it also creates an enabling environment for which the government’s supplementary support is available for patient welfare.

These projects will enable WHP to forge a stronger relationship with the state governments on an ongoing basis since it is essential for coordination for timely payments on which the project crucially hinges. WHP is also a member of the sub-group set up by the Central Ministry for revision of national guidelines on partnership with non-governmental organisations in which lessons from the PPSA project has been used to refine the processes.

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