Impact of Public-Private Partnerships Addressing Access to Pharmaceuticals in Low Income Countries: Uganda Pilot Study

Abstract

In a vicious cycle, poverty is a major cause of health inequity in developing countries, and ill-health perpetuates poverty. Many health problems among populations disadvantaged by poverty have been neglected because of lack of commercial incentives or have proven intractable when tackled by the public sector or NGOs independently. In recent years, a number of public-private partnerships (PPPs), usually targeted on specific products, diseases or technologies, have arisen to tackle particular health problems. One group of PPPs addresses access to pharmaceuticals critical to treatment or care for diseases disproportionately or uniquely affecting the poor in developing countries. This category of partnerships for drug access is usually based around the provision of products that are donated or heavily discounted (usually a ‘sole source’). They entail a multi partner effort at field level to ensure the distribution and proper use of the medications.