Why Microfinance and Healthcare Go Hand in Hand

(editor’s note: Gloriana Guillen is the Communications and Marketing Manager for Pro Mujer, a microfinance and women’s development initiative in Latin America. As a guest contributor, Gloriana will be posting about what Pro Mujer has learned as a practitioner of microfinance plus–the provision of financial services to the poor in conjunction with other development programs.)

Health is one of the most precious assets for an entrepreneur; a key to their wellbeing and success in the home, the workplace, and their community. Healthcare is particularly crucial for micro entrepreneurs because an illness can deplete savings and other assets, keep them away from their business, and cause other disruptions that can threaten a business.

Among our clients we have seen thousands of examples of how comprehensive services have benefitted microfinance clients in ways that simple financial services alone couldn’t. One especially poignant example is Gladys Pinto. Gladys had no idea that cancer threatened her life. At age 45, the entrepreneur and Pro Mujer client had never had a breast exam. These tests, she thought, were too costly and hard to find in her hometown of Salta, Argentina, near the border with Bolivia.

Last fall, Gladys decided to get tested after hearing that Pro Mujer was teaming up with a local clinic to offer free breast exams. When Gladys got the results, she was devastated: she found she had a malignant tumor. But thanks to early detection, she still had time to seek treatment. In consultation with Pro Mujer staff, Gladys found a doctor and underwent surgery. The breast exam and her subsequent operation saved her life. Gladys’ example illustrates how adding healthcare services to microfinance offerings can result in a much greater impact than either service alone.

Last October Pro Mujer in Argentina, in partnership with a local clinic, conducted over 450 mammogram and ultrasound examinations for clients and their daughters. More than 100 examinations detected a condition that required treatment or further testing.

In Argentina and other countries, Pro Mujer offers healthcare because entrepreneurs who are ill or whose children are ill can easily fall into debt and lose their businesses. Access to medical care increases the likelihood of retaining what is often their only source of income, their business, and their most precious asset, their health.