( CNN ) -- I 've just returned from a visit to Tanzania with the global health and development organization Population Services International to better understand the challenges facing health workers in the developing world . The outbreak of Ebola only underscores the dire need for trained health workers -- a global shortage of nearly 7.2 million health workers , according to the World Health Organization . About half of the spending on health care in Africa goes to private providers and care can be unregulated and quality inconsistent . During my week on the ground , however , I met PSI community health workers , nurses , doctors and business owners who deliver controlled and quality health care across Tanzania . PSI has ensured quality care by applying proven commercial franchising strategies -- think McDonalds or Subway -- to health care . PSI operates a franchise network that spans 31 countries and serves 10 million people every year . In Tanzania , the franchise is called Familia . Lucy , a Familia community health worker , goes out into the community every day and educates women about family planning and other health issues . Lucy then refers these women back to the neighborhood Familia clinic located right in the village she serves . I joined Lucy for a session she organized at a modest apartment building with a few rooms separated by concrete walls and colorful fabric curtains . When I climbed the stairs to the front porch , about a dozen women with babies who were seated on straw mats greeted me . Lucy began to talk with them about their contraception options , and they had lots of questions for her . The most vocal was a gregarious woman named Sophia . Sophia had used condoms and pills to space her births , but when Familia began offering longer-term methods like implants , she switched . The implant prevents pregnancy for up to three years , and she shared with us how it was a great weight off her shoulders . She told the group that she wanted to be able to plan her family size , so she and her husband could save for the future . Lucy reiterated that for women like Sophia , access to family planning is a key to health and economic stability . According to a report by the United Nations Population Fund and Guttmacher Institute , returns on investment in contraception can be recouped four times or more by reducing the need for public spending on social services . This is something Lucy knows well -- before she ended the session , she gave out vouchers to our new friends for a consultation at their local Familia clinic . After the session , we walked back to the clinic together and Lucy introduced me to Dr. John -- the clinic owner and care provider . He 's the kind of doctor anyone would want : one with a gentle bedside manner who cares deeply for the community he serves . We talked about the clinic , his needs and the number of clients he sees -- up to 200 per day . Dr. John said what he most needed was better business management skills . He was most appreciative about that component of PSI 's franchise model -- the ongoing training he and his staff receive . This helps him retain employees -- a major problem in developing countries underscored by this most recent epidemic -- and maintain a standard of care his clients can trust . The Familia franchise incorporates 260 private health facilities across 16 regions in Tanzania . PSI establishes the quality standards that clinics in the network , like Dr. John 's , must meet . And prices for products and services are set based on people 's ability and willingness to pay . With this structure , the health facilities can reach the very poor with free services and those who can afford to pay something with reduced fees . It 's working and clients are happy with the services they receive . According to PSI 's study of the Familia Network , the client retention rate is 81 % . From 2009 to 2011 , Familia health workers provided 45,000 IUDs and 14,000 implants to women who wanted a long-lasting method of contraception -- which equals 143,000 years of protection from unintended pregnanc y for Tanzanian couples . This innovative model takes an unregulated sector with varying degrees of quality and standardizes the level of care . It provides the vital infrastructure necessary for a woman like Sophia to take care of herself and her family , and a doctor and business owner like John to earn a decent living . As we left , I asked Dr. John if his future plans included opening a few more clinics . He smiled , and simply said , `` That 's my dream . ''
Mandy Moore : Ebola underscores the need for trained health workers in Africa . Moore : Care can be inconsistent , so PSI developed a `` franchise '' model for clinics . Moore went to Tanzania to observe quality , controlled health care in clinic franchise . The program is now being replicated across Kenya and Uganda.