Toolkit to improve private provider contributions to child health: introduction and development of national and district strategies.

June 2002 the World Bank published a discussion paper titled Working with the Private Sector for Child Health. The paper--developed with technical assistance from the USAID Bureau for Africa Office of Sustainable Development (AFR/SD) through the Support for Analysis and Research in Africa (SARA) project--lays out a framework for analyzing the contributions of the private sector in child heath. The framework outlined below is designed to serve as a basis for assessing the potential of different components of the private sector at country level. The framework identifies the following components of the private sector as being important for child health: Service providers (formal sector other for-profit employers non-governmental organizations [NGOs] private voluntary organizations [PVOs] and traditional healers); Pharmaceutical companies; Pharmacies; Drug vendors and shopkeepers; Food producers; Media channels; Private suppliers of products related to child health e.g. ITNs; Health insurance companies. (excerpt)