Micro, small and medium enterprises are the economic backbone of many countries of the world. Nations depend on them to support economic, help employ citizens and keep local markets supplied with all kinds of products and services.
An integral part of this ecosystem are healthcare centres that every individual in society needs from the moment they are born until their death. Small healthcare facilities serve low and middle-income patients. Today, health centres are a facet of life in many countries around the world – the result of either local or foreign investments. With the availability of modern medical technologies and other health services, supporting small and medium-sized companies in the field of healthcare is essential is key to enabling affordable healthcare access to everyone.
Several countries, including some Latin American countries, have begun to engage in these small and micro-enterprises in the health field. These projects enable patients to obtain the necessary services, while small
healthcare owners and providers, doctors and health professionals can reach their goals by supporting the investments of financing institutions. This policy aims at strengthening the health system, supporting greater flexibility in the market, and addressing the ongoing challenges of diseases, the most important of which is the Covid-19 pandemic.
On the other hand, international financial institutions have begun to expand their financing of micro, small and medium health care institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean with working capital and funding for the purchase of medical equipment. This is done by providing social loans with the aim of mobilising private investment to fill the healthcare supply gaps caused by the Covid pandemic in those countries. This reduces the burden on government health institutions, some of which have been unable to cope with the consequences of the Covid-19 epidemic. These services also consist of providing expertise and credit solutions to hospitals, healthcare operators and centres, the manufacture of medical equipment, medicines, diagnostic centres and others.
This policy help to stimulate the development of services by increasing the availability of medical equipment and in modernising and expanding the coverage of healthcare services in those countries, at a time when we see pressure on government healthcare systems. For example, one of the strategic priorities of the International Finance Corporation in Brazil is to support access to high-quality and affordable healthcare. The role of the private sector is to bridge the gap and support healthcare services. Officials in those countries see corporate loans as having a stimulating effect, expanding access to medical technology and deepening the domestic health care ecosystem for corporate borrowers.
Such social loans promote development in developing countries, in addition to their beneficial impact in creating business and job opportunities for their citizens, besides alleviating poverty, promoting shared prosperity, developing local economies and sustaining these projects.
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