ABSTRACT
The interaction of World Health Organisation (WHO) and other public health institutions with the private sector has vastly increased since the 1990s. The new approach, for WHO and other health institutions, was therefore to enter into broad alliances and partnerships, to enlist the efforts of both the public and private sectors, in order to achieve a synergistic combination of the strengths, resources and expertise of all partners. For WHO, the purpose of public-private partnerships and alliances is to harness the health industry’s power, influence, technology and other resources as a complement to its own programmes. WHO and other public health institutions take risks when entering into alliances or partnerships with the private sector. If the business of business is business, WHO’s business is global public health: the organization cannot be neutral with regard to the access of essential medicines to poor populations. The interaction between public health institutions and for-profit enterprises needs close oversight and better regulation.
