Engaging the private sector to improve access to quality care : public ends private means

The private health sector plays a large role in the Africa region in terms of both sources of funding and expenditure on health services. It often supplies 60 to 80 percent of financing and 50 percent of service delivery. Yet many countries do not have adequate public policies to deal with the private sector. Five main barriers to be overcome to improve the functioning of the private sector in health include: 1) lack of access to finance and expertise; 2) policies and regulations that fail to support the private sector; 3) lack of quality assurance and improvement; 4) insufficient supply of skilled health workers; and 5) lack of financial protection or sustainable financing.