Family Planning and the Role of the Private Sector

Ruth Berg and April L. Harding

Chapter 11 in Embracing Mixed Health Systems:Navigating the Development Trap, 2024, pp 261-299 from World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.

Abstract: Ruth Berg and April L. Harding draw on years of experience with program design and management in this chapter on “Family Planning and the Role of the Private Sector.” Like many health innovations, access to and use of contraceptives in the developing world initially lagged far behind that in wealthier countries. In the 1960s, several aid agencies and philanthropies mobilized to address this gap via support for developing countries’ family planning (FP) programs. From the mid-1960s to the mid-1990s, average fertility in the developing world fell from six to three children per woman. Some estimates attribute 43% of the decline in world fertility during this period to FP programs.Today, the local private sector contributes considerably to FP efforts in many developing countries. In addition to large numbers of unaffiliated providers and retailers, private non-profit organizations contribute to FP through a range of strategies, including social marketing, social franchising, and vouchers, as well as through more systemic mechanisms, such as insurance coverage and contracting. Private distributors, pharmacies, and retail outlets make it easy for people to pick up condoms, pills, spermicides, and other products. Many social insurance organizations cover FP services provided by public and private providers. In some countries, health agencies contract with private providers for a service package which includes FP. Private organizations perform critical stewardship activities too. Under social marketing, they often manage health communication activities and coordinate private distributors’ and retailers’ efforts. Under social franchising, they accredit and monitor providers. Under social insurance and voucher schemes, they verify whether services have been provided and manage reimbursements.

Keywords: Private Health; Private Healthcare; Public-private Partnership; Health System; Health System Governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I11 I15 I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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