Microfinance and Health Linkages provide the poor with access to preventive and curative health services and financing.  Through this innovative delivery model, implementing organizations broker access to or directly offer their clients health-related services in conjunction with financial services.  Such health protection services may take the form of informal education to enhance clients’ health literacy; health savings plans; emergency health loans; linkages to preventive and curative healthcare services; access to health products within the community; and health microinsurance.   Linking these services with microfinance leverages the outreach and established rapport that an implementing organization has with its clients in order to reach more people with greater efficiency. 

Microfinance and Health Linkages can help the poor

• reduce their vulnerability to health shocks by providing practical knowledge and skills to encourage preventive care and early treatment; and

• improve their options and ability to cope with the financial shocks associated with chronic and catastrophic illnesses.

Microfinance and Health Linkages can help implementing organizations

• increase their clients’ ability to repay loans, accumulate savings and improve their businesses as a result of improved health and health financing;

• enhance client loyalty by taking demonstrable measures to improve clients’ overall health and financial status; and

• provide a competitive advantage amongst peer microfinance organizations.

Freedom from Hunger is working with implementing organizations around the world to create innovative, complementary linkages of microfinance and health-related services for the poor.  Our Microfinance and Health Protection initiative, with generous funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, supports innovation, systems development and documentation of a range of integrated health protection services offered by implementing organizations.