The Private Sector and Commercial Determinants of Health

The Private Sector in Health and Commercial Determinants of Health (PSIH+CDoH) Thematic Working Group (TWG) engages all those interested in the role of the private sector in public health, health systems, and health care delivery. The private health sector delivers over 50% of all healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa and more than 80% in Asia. COVID-19 and the climate crisis have accelerated innovations while posing challenges for accountability, quality, and public participation. Many countries now fund services from private providers as part of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), though much remains to be learned about the effectiveness and equity of these partnerships (APO, 2023; Zaidi et al., 2023 The TWG aims to evaluate approaches to enable beneficial collaboration between the public and private sectors to advance UHC and support equity in health systems, with a focus on governance, mechanisms, innovations and new partnership models that prioritise public health objectives and mitigate associated risks. The TWG also aims to mentor and encourage young researchers interested in the private sector. As the role of private actors grows, it is essential to build trust and understanding of their relationships with governments and intermediary organisations, exploring new research methods to address knowledge gaps and inform evidence-based health system reforms.