Analysis should be more dynamic and move away from a static 'public-private mix' framework to one informed by economic analysis of market structure, incentives, interactions and, importantly, sufficient evidence gathered from various countries' experience. Literature on how the private and the public sectors in health services mutually influence each other through market dynamics and forces over time is still very much limited. How can a variety of sources be best used and matched to achieve the desired Geneva Health Forum 2008 goal of "global access to health"?

The Chair, Dr. Gaudenz Silberschmidt, Vice Director of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health and Head of International Affairs Division, opened the session by pointing to the heavy burden for the world of non-communicable diseases. He believes that the wealth and experience of the private sector means that it has an important role to play in helping to reduce this burden: "The business of business is not only business".

There is a huge gap between the economic resources people receive and the economic resources that are available for them. The question "Can we deliver?" addresses this issue by analyzing who is providing these resources and who is benefiting from them.

The session stressed that "the government is no longer the sole guidance of the public good or interest", but market forces alone cannot be the solution. Effective collaborations need partners with shared goals and values, and successful alliances have to be based on trust and a "human chemistry" in relationships. The session concluded that "public-private partnership should not be 'in addition', but should be considered as mainstream".