DHFL, USAID signs USD 10 mn loan guarantee for improving healthcare sector

Mortgage lender DHFL and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) today announced a USD 10 million (about Rs 70 crore) loan portfolio guarantee to improve capital access for small businesses in the healthcare sector.

"Through the risk-sharing agreement signed between USAID and DHFL, will be able to provide up to USD 10 million to small and medium-sized enterprises operating in the health sector in India, prioritising lending to women entrepreneurs," the two organisations said in a joint statement.

It will help deepen collaboration with various borrowers throughout India, especially in Rajasthan, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh; and also ensure improved access to quality, affordable healthcare and better health outcomes for underserved communities, it said.

US Consul General Edgard Kagan said, "The USAID-DHFL partnership will boost women's empowerment by prioritising them for lending, helping women access loans and expand and improve the viability of their businesses."

It gives us an opportunity to help develop quality healthcare across India by offering convenient and customised financial solutions, especially for medical practitioners through medical equipment finance and expansion of facilities, DHFL Joint Managing Director Harshil Mehta said.

DHFL has been undertaking extensive activities at grassroots level for the urban poor and those at the bottom of the pyramid, touching the lives of over millions of people through social programs and its excellent network across 349 locations, Mehta said.