Resource Library

The Commercial Market Strategies Final Report

The Commercial Market Strategies (CMS) project was the flagship private-sector project of USAID's Office of Population and Reproductive Health (G/PRH). CMS was designed to increase the use of family planning and other health products and services through the private sector. From 1998 to 2004, CMS worked in 29 countries to develop and implement a wide range of country programs, technical assistance projects, new initiatives, and global research — all with the aim of expanding access of family planning products and services through commercial approaches and private-sector partnerships. The CMS Final Report provides a comprehensive examination of the technical strategies, accomplishments, results, and lessons learned from the project's programs and activities. A major finding is that commercial organizations are a key resource for donors and development projects in accomplishing health sector objectives, particularly for family planning and reproductive health care. CMS programs involved partnerships with the private sector in a broad range of countries (including India, Morocco, Jordan, Senegal, Uganda, Ghana, Madagascar, Nepal, Nicaragua, and the Philippines), which resulted in improved access to, and quality of, family planning products and services. Through these programs, CMS provided consumers with valuable information about, and access to, essential health products, such as modern contraceptives, oral rehydration therapies, insecticide-treated malaria nets, treatment kits for sexually transmitted infections, and voluntary testing and counseling services for HIV/AIDS. This report also provides detailed information on the various technical strategies used by CMS, including social marketing, support for provider networks, health financing, sustainability for health care non-governmental organizations, corporate social responsibility, and policy.