Mechanisms for collaboration between public and private veterinarians: the animal health accreditation mandate.

There are several examples of national collaboration between official Veterinary Services and the private sector, in both developed and developing countries. In developed countries national veterinary systems tend to have a 'centripetal' structure: from the private to the somewhat centralised public system, whilst in developing countries there is currently the reverse, i.e. a 'centrifugal' movement. Faced with international quality requirements for national Veterinary Services, the institutional foundations for the execution of certain official activities by the private sector are provided by the OIE (World organisation for animal health), particularly in the Terrestrial Animal Health Code. The private sector should however be employed using clear formal procedures governed by various legally recognised systems. At this level, the animal health accreditation mandate has the advantage of combining within a single concept several legal benefits associated with each type of collaboration. Moreover, it can encourage private veterinarians to work in the field, and to continue to do so for a reasonable length of time, thus providing a de facto territorial network of competent, logistically independent professionals, acting as ad hoc public service agents for both the design and implementation of animal health related activities, all at an economic cost that does not compromise the budget of the national Veterinary Services. By making savings in terms of human and material resources, the animal health accreditation mandate appears to be particularly suitable for developing countries where means of communication and intervention often come up against unforeseen logistical difficulties.