Abstract
The supply of high quality, affordable health services fails to keep pace with need in many developing countries with overburdened public health systems. For example, more than 220 million women and girls around the world have an unmet need for family planning.
In developing markets, the private sector is often a major provider of health products and services. The private sector serves 37 to 39% of contraceptive users across sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Latin America, including 15 to 25% of users in the poorest quintile.1 This trend holds in low- and middleincome countries, in both urban and rural areas, for low and high socioeconomic groups.2
However, because the private sector often remains under-supported and under-regulated, its providers can lack incentives to deliver quality health care, and have limited access to professional development opportunities.3 These challenges can ultimately reduce access to affordable, quality health services for people who need them.
