NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Thursday, August 1, 2013

A golden era of funding for global health has ended. After rising threefold during the first decade of the twenty-first century, development assistance for health has plateaued.

Although funding from international donors has catalysed remarkable improvements in health in many countries, the gap between rich and poor remains wide. To further reduce health inequities, we need new approaches that make the most of available resources and I believe public-private partnerships across international borders are key to providing the highest value for money and achieving sustainable impact.

Others share the same view. In an open letter to G8 leaders who met in Northern Ireland in June, global health groups noted that “public-privatepartnership models supported by our governments have accelerated progress towards the millennium development goals and will have a critical role in the post-2015 development agenda.”

At Path, the US-based nongovernmental organisation where I work, our mantra is to always begin with the end in mind. In 35 years of developing and delivering high-impact, cost-effective health technologies for developing countries, we have found that both public- and private-sector partners are essential to effectively and efficiently drive lifesaving innovations to scale.