Who’s Responsible for This?: The Globalization of Healthcare in Developing Countries

One aspect of globalization in the developed world is the privatization of services once provided by government. This trend is also arising in developing countries, albeit for different reasons, and an area where this privatization is occurring is healthcare. Despite this privatization, the standard of healthcare in many developing countries is unacceptably low. This Note provides an analysis of this phenomenon in one country—Pakistan, a developing country that has increasingly come to rely on private providers, nongovernmental organizations, and international relief groups for the provision of healthcare—in order to draw conclusions that can be applied elsewhere. While this privatization does serve some needs, it is insufficient to provide an appropriate standard of care to the people of Pakistan. This Note argues that in order to raise the standard of healthcare in developing countries, the flow of privatization should be stemmed in favor of greater government involvement. This involvement includes collaborating with private and international entities, providing better oversight, and supplying financial incentives, in addition to the direct provision of healthcare. With evidence that greater government involvement in the provision of healthcare improves standards of healthcare, this Note concludes that the privatization of healthcare in developing countries should be viewed with caution. Further, there should be an emphasis on increased government involvement to ensure the levels of healthcare to which the people of Pakistan and many other developing countries are entitled.