Providing loans to public health authorities

Providing loans for environmental health

Description

Providing loans to public health authorities involves allocating financial resources to enable these bodies to address urgent health needs, upgrade infrastructure, and expand essential services. This strategy directly remedies funding shortfalls that hinder effective disease prevention, emergency response, and healthcare delivery. By offering accessible credit, it empowers public health authorities to implement targeted interventions, improve population health outcomes, and strengthen resilience against future health crises.

Implementation

In thirty-three years of operations in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has made 285 loans for US$7,400 million to finance environmental and public health projects costing a total of $15,300 million. Large loans in 1993 include among others, $42 million for a health care reform programme in Panama, and $68 million to strengthen Peruvian health services.