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IFC Helps India’s Andhra Pradesh State Expand Affordable Health Care Services
In New Delhi:
Minakshi Seth
Phone: +91 11 4111 1000
E-mail: mseth@ifc.org
Delhi, India, November 3, 2009—IFC,
a member of the World Bank Group, will work with the Indian state of Andhra
Pradesh to enable three public hospitals to offer advanced diagnostics
services such as dialysis to low- and middle-income people.
The Andhra Pradesh state government
has sought IFC’s advice on upgrading diagnostic services at public hospitals
in Kurnool, Vishakhapatnam, and Warangal under a public-private partnership.
The government is committed to expanding access to affordable and quality
health care for its citizens and is exploring new partnerships to strengthen
health care provision.
Through its first infrastructure advisory
health-sector project in India, IFC will support development of a comprehensive
policy framework for public-private partnerships in the local health sector.
The framework will enhance performance of the public health and medical
systems, improving the availability of quality health care in the state,
especially to low- and middle-income groups.
“By partnering with IFC, we not only
will benefit from IFC’s global experience in developing a sustainable
public-private partnerships framework but also kickstart a larger effort
to leverage the private sector for improving public health,” said J. Sathyanarayana,
Principal Secretary for Health and Family Welfare, Andhra Pradesh government.
IFC’s advice will include identifying
priority areas for health care partnerships, developing a strategy for
guiding private investment in health service delivery, and establishing
guidelines for public-private partnership initiatives, and building an
institutional management capacity.
“Through this initiative, we hope to
pave the way for partnering with Andhra Pradesh state in making high-quality
health care services affordable for underserved groups,” said Rachel Kyte,
IFC Vice President for Business Advisory Services.
In India, IFC’s health care portfolio
is about $170 million and includes investments in Apollo Hospitals, Max
Healthcare, and Rockland hospitals.
IFC’s experience in helping improve
health services includes public-private partnership projects in Lesotho
and Romania, and it also is involved in a project in Mexico. The goal is
to attract private investment to improve use of resources and expand availability
of quality services.
To learn more about IFC’s activities
in South Asia, visit www.ifc.org/southasia.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group,
creates opportunity for people to escape poverty and improve their lives.
We foster sustainable economic growth in developing countries by supporting
private sector development, mobilizing private capital, and providing advisory
and risk mitigation services to businesses and governments. Our new investments
totaled $ 14.5 billion in fiscal 2009, helping channel capital into developing
countries during the financial crisis. For more information, visit www.ifc.org.
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