Getting down to business. Expanding the private commercial sectors role in meeting reproductive health needs.

Around the world there is an emerging consensus that private enterprise is the engine of economic growth and development. Market forces are widely accepted as the most dynamic and efficient mechanisms for meeting societys demands for goods and services especially in the productive economic sectors such as agriculture and industry. Even in the social sectors where governments have traditionally played a greater role there is growing recognition that the private for-profit sector can help meet the publics demand for education and health care. In reproductive health as in other areas of health care the private sectors potential importance lies in the inadequacy of public funding relative to growing needs. New and innovative approaches involving the private sector are required to bridge this gap between stagnating financial resources and the rapidly increasing demand for reproductive health care. Yet in most developing countries the private sector is not fulfilling its potential to help meet reproductive health needs often because governments have not created a sufficiently supportive environment. Developing country governments and international donor agencies do not adequately appreciate the private sectors contribution to reproductive health. Most governments and donors lack awareness of how their own policies and programs either encourage or deter the private sector from playing a larger role in reproductive health. (excerpt)