​Swedish investments in clinics and hospitals in Sub-Sahara Africa receive 5 million SEK in emergency support due to Corona

The Swedish development finance institution Swedfund has long experience of working with sustainable investments in developing countries and was during the Ebola outbreak active in the countries most affected in Africa. Based on Swedfund’s long experience of investing in Africa, Swedfund has asked all its hospitals and clinics to specify how Swedfund can assist them in protecting personnel, clinics and hospitals from the Corona pandemic.

Developing countries' infrastructure for healthcare is deficient and the pressure on healthcare facilities is greatly increasing as the Covid-19 virus spreads. To reduce the spread of infection, emergency preparedness at the hospitals needs to be increased. The aim is to increase access to care for more patients and to keep patients carrying Covid-19 separate from other patients and healthcare personnel to increase health and safety and limit the spread of the virus.

-It is an exceptional situation and our role as a development finance institution is now more important than ever. We must continue our long-term work in the healthcare sector and assist our clinics and hospitals in their fight against the Corona pandemic. We are, therefore, contributing funds to financially support with emergency equipment to hospitals such as the maternal care clinic Jacaranda in Nairobi, Addis Cardiac Hospital in Addis Ababa and 40 clinics and two hospitals in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, with, among other things, the necessary emergency equipment, says Maria Håkansson CEO at Swedfund.

Jacaranda is a maternity care clinic that also treats other patients in the area of Nairobi, mainly women and children. Here, the effort is focused on setting up a general outpatient centre and an isolation unit for infection cases, acquisition of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and screening requirement to enable the outpatient center to attend to high-risk clients safely, efficiently and effectively in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

HHI is a leading healthcare group with 40 clinics and 2 hospitals in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. On their list of requirements are, among other things, screening equipment and personal protective equipment to enable the outpatient centers ensure that patients at high risk are treated as safely as possible.

-People who take care of individuals diagnosed with Covid-19 run the greatest risk of being infected by the disease, such as health care professionals in emergency departments and others working close to their clients or patients. The purpose of this support effort is to strengthen the capacity of HHI so that it can handle the Covid-19 pandemic based on the best possible conditions, says Audrey Obara, who works as Senior Investment Manager for Swedfund in Kenya.

Swedfund invests in sustainable companies mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia, with the mission to fight poverty. One of the focus areas is healthcare.

Technical Assistance
Funds for technical assistance, so-called TA funds, are part of Swedfund's toolbox that can be used to strengthen the results within Swedfund’s three pillars impact on society, sustainability and financial viability. TA funds may be used in all countries where Swedfund invests in accordance with current owner instructions.