Many people in developing countries — up to 82 per cent in Sub-Saharan Africa — seek healthcare and medicines from retail drug shops. They do so for different reasons, including convenience and drug availability. Recognition of informal providers’ impact on public health has grown, with calls to bring this sector under the health system umbrella. But the interventions documented so far have been generally limited in scope: for example, training sellers in one location about one illness. Introducing and scaling up comprehensive programs is challenging.But it can be done. A successful public-private partnership in Tanzania is one model. Read more.