Private health care in developing countries

doi:10.1136/bmj.323.7311.463

BMJ 2001;323:463-464 ( 1 September )

Editorials

Private health care in developing countries

If it is to work, it must start from what users need

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Private healthcare provision is growing in low and middle income countries. ¹ ² The poor, as well as the rich, often seekhealth care from private providers, including for conditions ofpublic health importance such as malaria, tuberculosis, and sexuallytransmitted infections. ³ ⁴ ⁵ The reasons cited by usersinclude better and more flexible access, shorter waiting, greaterconfidentiality, and greater sensitivity to user needs. ¹ ⁶ International policymakers are currently recommending greateruse of private providers ⁷ ⁸ ⁹ on the grounds that theyoffer consumers greater choice; increase competition in the healthcaremarket; and remove state responsibility for service provision,thereby encouraging its role as regulator and guarantor. We should,however, beconcerned.

When examined, the quality of care offered by many private providers is poor. ¹ ² ¹⁰ Furthermore, poor people spend agreater proportion of their income on health care (private orpublic) than do the rich, often using less qualified or totallyuntrained privateproviders.

We have . . . [Full text of this article]

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Private health care in developing countries: Ian Mather, Sam Ramaiah, and Philip Crowley
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