Incubator: alternative market channels

Approximately 40% of healthcare services are provided by private entities.

Private facilities providing care include:

• Private sector hospitals, clinics and doctors
• Hospitals, clinics and community health workers managed by non-governmental organization (NGOs) or faith-based organizations
• Private clinics and doctors
• Private pharmacies
• Informal sources, such as shops and healers

With so many people accessing care outside of public health systems, it is essential to engage the private sector.

Privately run pharmacies, which often serve as the initial point of contact for healthcare services in low- and-middle-income countries (LMICs), are experiencing a transformation that extends beyond prescription fulfillment. In India, for instance, it is projected that by 2025, 1.2 million pharmacists will be administering vaccinations. Meanwhile, in Brazil, ANVISA introduced new regulations in August 2023, expanding the scope of pharmacy-based testing to encompass over 43 indications, ranging from infectious diseases to markers for non-communicable diseases. In South Africa, pharmacists can sell at-home HIV test kits, and trained pharmacists can initiate antiretroviral treatment limited to PrEP, PEP, and first-line antiretroviral therapy (ART), as well as tuberculosis preventative therapy (TPT).

We leverage our understanding of the private market landscape, and our in-house profiling of over 150 private organizations across ten LMICs, to design and implement demonstration projects in collaboration with partners and private sector stakeholders.