Health & Education

We aim to help develop socially responsible private health care and make a difference in people’s lives by:

Supporting investment in health infrastructure and services:

• As of January 1, 2011, IFC provided more than $1.2 billion in financing to 97 private health care projects in 36 developing countries. The projects had a total value of $4.8 billion. IFC has mobilized an additional $86 million from participant banks for its health sector investments.

Supporting investment in the poorest countries to spur sustainable growth:

• Thirty-one IFC health projects (32 percent) were in IDA (International Development Association) countries, which are considered the world's poorest developing countries.

Increasing access to health care:

• IFC-supported health facilities treat 7.9 million patients yearly.

Providing employment opportunities for local health professionals:

• IFC-supported health care facilities employ about 36,000 people in developing countries.

Raising standards:

• Twelve IFC clients have achieved international-quality accreditation, such as Joint Commission International and a number of others are in the process of doing so.

Sharing best practice:

• IFC organizes numerous events and learning opportunities including our bi-annual International Private Health Care Conference, which brings our clients together with thought leaders from business, health care, and academia. Presentations of previous IFC-organized conferences can be viewed at Events/Presentations.

Collaborating with development institutions worldwide:

• We support investment in the private health sector through collaboration with other leading development institutions, including the Asian Development Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, Proparco, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Influencing health policy:

• We bring together health professionals and policy makers through numerous conferences and seminars aimed at exploring public-private collaboration and partnerships.