The global health outlook is bleak. In 2002, more than six million people—most of them in poor countries—died from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria (exhibit). These three diseases, plus a handful of others, have crippled economic growth and progress in developing countries.

Although many such diseases are preventable, most public-health systems in poor countries have neither the resources nor the infrastructure to administer care. Poor countries suffer from inadequate health care delivery systems and a shortage of drugs and supplies. When drugs are available, most of the people who need them can’t afford them.

Without question, the financial and human resources to solve these problems are lacking. Given their magnitude and the speed with which the three diseases spread, it is now clear that no lasting solution will come without creative partnerships between corporations, on the one hand, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the public sector, on the other. Among the unique resources the private sector can provide are intellectual property, marketing skills, and public-relations channels, as well as expertise in pharmaceutical development, distribution, and project management. Another critical benefit of this kind of partnership is the access it provides to employees in the workplace—and, by extension, their families.

Yet...