Health services utilization and out-of-pocket expenditure at public and private facilities in low-income countries

Overview

The size and role of the  private sector in health care provision varies. In nearly all countries, regardless  of economic  development,  private facilities including  faith-based facilities,  non-government non-profit organizations and  private for-profit facilities are involved in health  services provision. And in  many  contexts, their importance is growing. There are great differences among private facilities in terms of  their objectives, principles, operation styles, and location to name  a few. They can range from  an informal private provider operating in a slum  area of a large city,  a high-end clinic  providing sophisticated care for the  elite in the rich neighborhoods of the same city to a church-run non-profit  health center in a  rural village  where public services  may  not even exist.  

This report is part of a series, The World Health Report 2010 Background Papers, which were written to inform the process of developing the key messages of the World Health Report 2010: Health systems financing: The path to universal coverage.