ABSTRACT
When one considers the role of government, what immediately springs to mind is the debate between “interventionism” and “laissez-faire”. Many stakeholders, including Health Ministries themselves, see contracting as merely a simple tool to formalize a relation. One often hears comments such as: “Contracting is a health service tool”, and as such it is neutral. Contracting is present in all health systems, although there are major differences in the types of contracting that different countries employ. Contracting is obviously not the exclusive preserve of the health sector. All sectors, and consequently all ministries, have experiences that use contracting processes. The Health Ministry should therefore make contacts with other ministries to learn about their experiences and share their tools with them, for the purpose of updating synergies and harmonizing strategies. The regulation of contractual relations forms part of the government reforms that are unfolding in many countries.
