Zambia : non-governmental health care provision

Using primarily existing data, this report constructs a profile of the private health sector in Zambia, and suggests how its role might be broadened. Section 1 provides background information on Zambia"s economic, demographic, and health situation, while Section 2 presents an overview of private health care financing, including a typology of the different private providers (e.g., employers, NGOs, for-profit providers). Section 3 provides a socioeconomic profile of the users of private health care and assesses the contributions of private providers in specific disease areas and to various services on the public health agenda. Section 4 is a general discussion of supply and demand-side factors and government policies influencing the development of the private health care sector in Zambia. Finally, Section 5 identifies policy options for increasing the contribution of private providers to national health goals; this section also suggests specific interventions for specific providers. Included among the annexes are an estimate of Zambia"s national health accounts for 1990 and a discussion of how to place more Ministry of Health doctors in rural areas. Includes bibliography. (Author abstract, modified)