Integrating Microfinance and Health - Global Microcredit Summit 2011

Table 3. Integrating Microfinance and Health Benefits Multiple StakeholdersMicrofinance Provider Low cost or even marginal profits Competitive advantage Healthier, financially more stable clients Social mission achievementClients, households and communities Improved healthcare knowledge and behaviors More access to health providers and products Greater financial protection and choice for households Enhanced ability to use MFI loans and to saveThere is more evidence for some of these benefits than for others. Particularly at the level ofcommunity health benefits and at the level of the microfinance provider (competitive advantage,client performance and costs/revenues), there will be legitimate demand for more evidence fromexperimentation and replication in new contexts and further research on client behavior, costsand revenues. There is plenty of opportunity for microfinance providers to pioneer novel healthprograms, and their bold trial-and-error and successes will be a benefit to the globalmicrofinance and health communities of practice. For others less willing to take on theconsiderable risks of innovation but interested in adopting already implemented models, thereare various forms of technical guides, training and consultation available (e.g., see materialsavailable at http://www.ffhtechnical.org/resources/microfinance-health).Undoubtedly, there is considerable extra cost of time and money for a microfinance provider indeveloping or adopting health programs as part of its portfolio of client services. Healthprograms, even if just financial products focused on providing access to health care, requireunderstanding and working with a new perspective, that of the health community. This isnecessary for both execution by the microfinance provider itself and for the requiredcollaboration with health service providers. This is not financial service business as usual. Itrequires different content knowledge and skills for appropriate needs assessment and marketing,delivery of health-related education and the necessary collaboration and negotiation with public-25