Private Provider Networks: The Role of Viability in Expanding the Supply of Reproductive Health and Family Planning Services

As the private sector plays an increasingly critical role in the delivery of reproductive health/family planning (RH/FP) services, donors and public health ministries are turning their attention to business arrangements that offer the potential to increase access to high-quality priority health services. Private provider networks hold the promise of cost effectively expanding the scale of private practice, and are increasingly being considered as a way to achieve national public health objectives. The paper first assesses whether and how networks achieve viability and, second, distills lessons that have contributed to network viability. The review also examines the extent to which viability goals conflict with or support the delivery of RH/FP services. By drawing from the business practices of both commercial and donor-supported networks and assessing their relative strengths and weaknesses, the paper cross-fertilizes lessons from each and suggests the need for synergies and partnerships across sectors. [author’s description]