Abstract
PRIVATE HEALTH SECTOR AND ITS ROLE IN HEALTH SERVICES PROVISION IN THE SUDAN

The study focuses on assessing the role of the private sector in the provision of health services in Sudan. Specifically, the study attempts evaluation of the contribution of the private hospitals in delivering health services and limitations of the public sector in the same theme. This is in addition to evaluation of the quality of services provided by the private hospitals, and the constraints that face them. The study adopts mixed qualitative and quantitative approaches for the empirical data collection and analysis. Primary data was collected by questionnaire and interviews. The main findings reveal that private healthcare provision is growing in Sudan, signifying the role they play in providing health services. The major strengths of private hospitals are: providing quality services, reliable staff support, comfortable environments for the patients, and good management. On the other hand, the major constraints facing private hospitals is the absence of direct support from the government compounded by the weakened regulatory role of the Ministry of Health(MOH) and heavy taxes and fees imposed by the government.