The FINANCIAL — IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is investing $210 million (equivalent to BRL 682 million) to support the expansion of Rede D’Or São Luiz (Rede D’Or), the largest network of private hospitals in Brazil.
IFC’s investment will help expand access to quality healthcare services in Brazil.
IFC’s is lending $130 million from its own account, which loan could be provided either in US Dollars or in Brazilian reais. In addition, IFC is mobilizing another $80 million through a loan syndicated to Banco Santander.
“We are excited to invest in Rede D’Or for the third time in the past seven years. Partnerships such as this are critical to IFC’s goal to help broaden the access to high-quality and value-added services in Brazil,” said Carmen Valéria de Paula, IFC’s Principal Investment Officer of Health and Education Sector. “Investing in efficient and effective companies can contribute to stronger national health system, helping to increase quality of life in emerging markets,” she adds.
“By enhancing our ties with a reputable institution such as IFC, we also enhance our commitment not only to the Brazilian health sector but also to the country, where we have been actively investing to provide world-class hospital services and high-quality assistance to our patients and to the medical community,” said Heráclito Gomes, CEO of Rede D’Or São Luiz.
Rede D’Or’s network of private hospitals in Brazil is comprised of 34 hospitals, with more than 5,000 beds and two hospitals under management. IFC’s facility will support Rede D’Or’s expansion program, which includes the building of new, larger, and more cost-effective hospitals, and will create about 3,600 additional hospital beds, according to IFC.
Brazil spends about eight percent of its GDP on health care, and expenditures are growing rapidly. Still, the country faces a shortage of hospital capacity and qualified healthcare professionals, hindering efforts to expand access to quality services. The private sector provides healthcare coverage for about 48 million, or about one in four Brazilians.
IFC, the world’s largest multilateral investor in private healthcare, manages an active global portfolio of about $2 billion in health services, which includes hospitals, clinics, diagnostic chains, Health Maintenance Organizations, and life sciences including pharmaceuticals, vaccines, and medical technology. IFC provides investment and advisory services to expand access to quality healthcare, introduce innovations in financing and delivery of services, improve quality and efficiency, and complement public sector efforts to achieve national health goals. In Brazil, IFC’s portfolio in the healthcare sector reached $312 million. (Figures are as of March 2017, and include resources from IFC’s own account and mobilization.)
IFC has been investing in Brazil’s private sector since 1956 to address the country’s most critical development challenges, including those of the urbanization, social inclusion, competitiveness and productivity, and management of natural resources.
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