Education & Health

Public spending on education and health is set to increase significantly in coming years as the government attempts to address one of the biggest challenges facing both sectors; a sizeable infrastructure gap that continues to perpetuate a significant urban-rural divide. In the process, opportunities for the private sector through public-private partnerships (PPPs) should abound. In the education sector, the government’s most recent effort to improve quality came in the form of a new university law which will increase oversight and requirements for students and professors. Meanwhile, in the health sector, a reform package passed in 2013 and the allocation of $8.4bn to address the infrastructure gap in the public health system are indicative of the government’s commitment to raising sector standards. A new emphasis on PPPs to boost public health infrastructure is expected to generate opportunities for an already dynamic and fast-growing private sector.

This chapter contains interviews with José Dextre Chacón, President, Federation of Private Institutions of Higher Education and Elsa Del Castillo, President, University of the Pacific.