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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Recorded presentation

Alene Gelbard, PhD, Public Health Institute, 3712 Huntington St, NW, Washington, DC 20015, 202 966 3436, alenegelbard@earthlink.net

Companies can increase the availability of health services for women in developing countries through public-private partnerships, especially among the poorest and hardest-to-reach women. This is the conclusion of a study that looked at multinational companies providing workplace and community services to improve women's health in developing countries. The study found that companies providing the services all partner with governments and/or non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to deliver them. However, few outside of those directly involved in these partnerships are aware of them and most in the business sector don't think of women's health services as relevant to their business interests. There is also mutual mistrust and misperceptions among companies, governments and NGOs of each other's motives and interests. All are obstacles to successful, sustainable partnerships.

Suggestions from companies and other sources consulted on how to overcome these obstacles include: help companies communicate their experiences more widely, within and among companies and to the public and NGO sectors; provide opportunities for companies to identify partners to develop service delivery plans; and find ways to help governments and NGOs better understand the health and business priorities of companies – an overlooked, but essential precondition to successful partnerships.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify principal factors affecting the decision of multinational companies to provide women's health services.
• Learn what obstacles impede productive partnerships between developing country governments, NGOs and multinational companies.

Keywords: Women's Health, Privatization

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No

Recorded presentation