Integrating Microfinance and Health - Global Microcredit Summit 2011

In this paper, we document available experience and evidence to help guide the growing numberof microfinance practitioners, policymakers and development organizations interested in thisemerging arena of integrated microfinance and health. In order to have impact, there are threemajor barriers to health that must be addressed: Inadequate health information Insufficient geographically accessible, affordable and effective healthcare services Inadequate financing for healthResearch so far indicates that all three of these barriers can be positively modified throughhealth-related programs that can be offered by microfinance providers in a cost-effective manner.Health education is by far the most common health service offered by microfinance providers,for several reasons: the relative ease of implementation, the availability of numerous adaptabledelivery models and the existence of supporting technical guides, curricula and evaluation tools.Multiple studies show that adding health education alone, usually delivered during the routinemicrofinance group meetings, improves knowledge that leads to behavioral change. Thesebehaviors are known to be associated with positive health outcomes that are critically importantfor improving the health status of the poor and for achieving the Millennium Development Goalsin areas such as maternal and child health.Direct delivery of healthcare services by microfinance providers and/or the linkage of clients toindependent care providers are far less common than health education. However, multiple studiesshow that the integration of microfinance and health programs can affect important aspects ofhealth and well being, such as family planning (higher contraceptive use and lower fertility),preventive services (e.g., increased access to immunization), care of childhood illnesses andmanagement of acute health problems (e.g., diarrhea and respiratory infections).Documented and researched examples of microfinance providers offering their clients access tohealth products are sparse. However, these few have succeeded in cost-effectively providingaccess to products that are beneficial to family health (such as medications, oral rehydrationsalts, mosquito nets, paracetamol, de-worming pills, antiseptic lotion, oral contraceptive pills) oreven life saving, such as insecticide-treated bednets.2