PRIVATE SECTOR DOMINANCE, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE POOR?
Paraguay’s family planning market illustrates a vibrant private sector in the absence of a deliberate targeting strategy. The result is limited access to family planning commodities and services for those who cannot afford private sector prices. Unlike in most LAC countries, in Paraguay the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare (MPHSW) is not the dominant contraceptive provider for the country. Rather, the private sector serves roughly 60% of contraceptive users, with 43% of all contraceptive users utilizing pharmacies, which are distributed throughout the urban and rural areas of the country (12). This segmentation arose, in part, because the MPHSW has a history of frequent contraceptive stockouts and an inconsistent political climate supporting family planning. Thus, Paraguayans tend to consult the more-reliable private sector for their contraceptive needs. An unfortunate result of the private sector dominance is that a high unmet need for modern family planning methods and se
