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Evolving Public-Private Roles in the Pharmaceutical Sector

Health is a fundamental human right. Access to health care, including essential drugs is central to realizing this right. Among countries, there are wide variations in the roles which the public and private sectors (for-profit, and private not-for-profit) play in financing and providing health services. Within and across sectors, different mechanisms, with different policy implications, exist for financing and providing services. In many countries, public and private roles undergo considerable change; this diversity in public-private roles and the changes they are undergoing is true for the pharmaceutical sector, as well as for the overall health sector.