PUBLIC HEALTH PARTNERSHIPARE IMPORTANT TOOL FOR STRETCHING LIMITED RESOURCES.
Partnership refers to a relationship whereby two or more persons come together to carry out their trade or business jointly while sharing business ownership. Each partner contributes a given agreed resources which maybe skills, money, labor or property while in return sharing profits and loss of the business. Sharing of resources and increased market share led many organizations to opt to go for partnership rather than running businesses on their own. This has been also experienced in the public where by businesses partner with public health organizations. It has been observed as a significant tool for stretching limited resources like space of operation, labor and other resources with an aim of increasing their level of operations in terms of serving more patients and to ensure increased efficiency and effectiveness in their operations.
The main significant of partnership include ; being relatively easy to establish, there is increased ability in raising funds compared to when the single business person operates on his own, there is a wider pool of resources in terms of knowledge and skills.
There are different types of partnership which include general partnership, limited partnership and limited liability partnership.
In general partnership, two or more business owners carry out a business purpose while sharing their profits and loss equally in relation to business management. In this partnership individual partners are responsible for all business liabilities and debts incurred. The profits of individual partners are not taxed in the business but are taxed in the total income obtained by the partner but at a lower rate. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Limited partnership usually gives room to individual business partners to restrict their personal liability in relation to the amount that he or she has invested in the business. In this type of partnership individual partners do not take part in making management decisions.
In limited liability partnership, don’t give the tax advantage to the partners but gives protection on personal liability of individual partners. In this partnership individual partner will not be held liable for the wrongful acts of fellow partners or any liability or debts that the business has. It is subjected to non tax rules.
ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC HEALTH PARTNERSHIPS.
Businesses of late have developed interest financially to support public health organizations that are well organized with the aim of increasing the effectiveness of these organizations and increasing their reach to public heath patients in terms of corporate social responsibility.
According to a report by institute of medicine in 2003, there is a great significance in the public health system when government public health agencies partner with businesses and society segment to promote health of people in the society. In the past and even currently public health partnerships have demonstrated how when businesses partner with public health organization are providing opportunities to do business.
It has been experienced that when Public health organizations work on their own there have been great loss that the organization incurs since these losses are borne by private business. The U. S businesses had an economic stake in promoting and trying to maintain the health of her workforce. The U.S spent approximately from $73 billion to $1.7 trillion from year 1970 to 2003 which led to erosion of countries economic power which was disadvantageous to the state.
Business most of the time incurs a high cost in terms of reduction in productivity of its workforce in form of disabilities and illnesses which make them opt to partner with public health organizations in order to promote health of its workforce. A study is given in an example of Dow Chemical Company in United States in which more than 60% of the total cost incurred by the company came as a result of chronic health. It has been found that businesses can greatly help in addressing public health issues which in most cases they bear both directly and indirectly.
There have been successful businesses and public health partnerships which have helped in reduction of health issues in the society. For example a study of full time employees from age 18-64 revealed that 53% females and 70% of males were having obesity making the organization to bear medical cost of $175 per year for males and $2485 for female employees. The public sector through partnering with such public business sectors where there is increased level of obesity may be because physical activities have been eliminated in lives of people because of advancement in technology and food that people eat having more fat content thus increasing levels of diabetes among business workers. In the partnership agencies of public health are reaching out to transportation officials, city planners to educate them on need of encouraging community design which promotes access to foods that are healthy and supporting physical activity. Through the partnership public health organizations have ensured environmental changes, improved housing and good sanitation that have reduced the level of infectious diseases. Reduction in health risk because of health education and intervention of public health agents can benefit business by having increased return on business. An example is given of Dow’s program of reducing risks and program of managing the health of the employees has revealed that if there is 0.17 percent decrease over ten years in health risk there will be reduced healthcare cost which will enable the organization to break-even.
Through this partnership employers are opting to change the work environment through offering healthy foods in their canteens, coming up with walking groups, coming up with fitness clubs and establishing and implementing policies that support health behaviour. Health organization also partner with the government organization in transportation sector to add more park spaces and improve them, to support physical activities worldwide and to provide physical education in schools, providing standardized nutrition in schools.
The best ways of encouraging these partnerships is when public health organizations will reach out to commerce chambers, regional and local businesses, national businesses and corporate leaders to establish strategic partnership. This can be done through participating n sponsoring organizations and corporate leaders in campaign to prevent diseases like cancer, chronic illnesses and diabetes.
To conclude both the businesses and the public sector end up with great advantages with reduced public cost incurred by businesses and reduced level of health problems in a given country. Since public health organizations are not for profit making organization, improving the health of the public is the main concern while to individual businesses reducing medical cost and increasing the return on business is the main concern. This partnership can therefore be said to have an a great advantage on business whose profits will increase while at the same time when the health condition of business workers is stable, the government incur less medical cost of educating people and buying health equipments and therefore can conclude that business organizations offers a wide ground for public health to reach out to the public in terms of medical service delivery, education and treatments making the partnership worthwhile.