Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene September - October 2016 Vol. 11 No.4 | страница 38

Water & Health
How can the private health sector
contribute to Universal Health Coverage?
By LSHTM Communications Team
Kara Hanson, Professor of Health System Economics

The private sector in low- and middle-income countries
is extremely diverse. It includes large scale corporate
hospitals, independent sole practitioners and retail sellers
of drugs. Private providers often contribute a substantial
share of health services. For example, in Nigeria where
there is a large retail pharmaceutical sector, more than 90%
of antimalarial drugs are sold through private drug shops.
They provide a significant share of care for priority health
conditions such as diarrhoea and fever in children.
Private providers can help to meet gaps in service
coverage, be more convenient and more friendly to
patients. However, they can also exploit differences in
knowledge to their advantage –