Private Healthcare in Developing Countries
Private Sector Health Services
In developing countries and areas of limited healthcare access, private providers act on the front line and are often the only form of healthcare available. Although the private sector plays an increasingly important role in healthcare in developing countries, it remains a new area of study and innovation. As governments of developing countries fall short of providing widespread access to care, and traditional charity-focused NGOs offer limited or temporary solutions, the private sector presents an opportunity for sustainable scale-up of healthcare services alongside social and economic development. Included in the scope of private sector agencies are both for-profit private providers, and NGOs that apply market-based approaches to service delivery.
Our Goal
The aim of this website is to present a brief and up-to-date review of the pertinent issues in private sector healthcare delivery. This work is not biased by outside funding sources or agendas, and the content is intended not only to serve as a resource, but also as a springboard for sharing information. Welcome.
This Site
Private sector topics are organized into two major categories: Service Delivery and Disease. Within this framework this site presents topics related to the delivery of private sector health services and goods in general, and disease-specific private sector services, respectively. For each topic, we provide a summary review of the issues at hand, current programs and approaches, and links to additional resources. The Resources page presents links organized according to topic area.
This site is still in testing mode. We welcome your feedback.
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Publications
A review of the effectiveness of governmental contracting of primary health care services to non-governmental entities in the developing world.
A survey of women’s health-seeking behaviors in Pakistan compares the use of health care services in public, private non-profit, and traditional settings.
Choice of healthcare provider following reform in Vietnam
Analysis of how changes in government regulation in Vietnam have altered health-seeking behavior, focusing on provider type and level of access.
News
Gates Foundation to Support Development of an X-Prize for Effective TB Diagnosis
The Gates Foundation has provided a planning grant to the X-Prize Foundation to develop a competitive research prize (similar to its previous prize for a manned spaceflight) for an effective and accurate diagnosis tool for tuberculosis. The foundations hope that the financial incentive will spur biotechnology entrepreneurs to develop a rapid, low-cost, and sensitive diagnostic test to help reduce the burden of disease in developing countries.
UN and DSM Nutritional Products Win Award for Micronutrient Power
ICIS, a leading chemical and petroleum industry magazine, awarded the UN World Food Program and Netherlands-based DSM Nutritional Products a prize for their joint initiative in producing a cost-efficient micronutrient packet for distribution in the developing world. The MixMe tasteless powder packet, which is now being distributed in Nepal, Kenya, and Bangladesh, contains vitamins and trace minerals which, when added to normally micronutrient deficient foods like corn and rice, helps avert numerous childhood and adult morbidities. The non-profit arm of DSM, Sight and Life, provides the WFP with expertise, high nutrient products, and financial assistance in the initiative, currently in its second year.