Systems approach to animal health services delivery in sub-Saharan Africa : the case of privatisation

Abstract

The theory of privatisation is first reviewed with respect to animal health care in sub-Saharan Africa. Then, using the systems approach advocated in an accompanying paper, the authors argue that the nature of animal production systems obtaining in any economy is of central importance in determining the type and mixture of animal health services delivery systems present. These are influenced, in turn, by the demand placed on the production system by consumers, the levels of consumer income and the policies enacted by governments. The authors compare the situation in sub-Saharan Africa with that in developed countries, especially the United States of America. Theory would predict that privatisation of veterinary services in sub-Saharan Africa will be evolutionary rather than revolutionary, even with deliberate policies to encourage privatisation. In regard to personnel, private services would be much easier to develop on the basis of auxiliaries and technicians, rather than self-employed veterinarians and their associates. Hasty or wholesale privatisation, involving the creation of a cadre of self-employed veterinarians will, in the face of market failure, result in a reduction in the services available to low input/low output production systems. The general level of animal health care provided to certain types of producers will thus be lower than currently available. These theoretical predictions are borne out in practice.