SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-Being

The coronavirus is not the only challenge: KfW is supporting its partners in developing countries in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. For example, support is being provided for a project with the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine in Hamburg to help the six countries in the East African Community to develop an early warning system for epidemics and pandemics. To this end, laboratory staff is trained and supplied with tests, for example for the COVID-19 virus. The partner countries are provided with mobile laboratories to enable accurate diagnoses to be made quickly. On behalf of the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), KfW also supports the development and market launch of new diagnostics, drugs and vaccines for use in poorer countries, for example through product development partnerships.

Despite the current enormous challenges posed by the coronavirus, the “old” health challenges remain. About 15,000 young children die every day from malaria, AIDS, tuberculosis, diarrhoea or childhood diseases. One sixth of the global population is affected by tropical diseases like dengue fever or sleeping sickness, which have proven difficult to treat to date. The healthcare systems of many countries cannot cope with these diseases on their own.

Research at many pharmaceutical companies focuses on diseases that are particularly prevalent in industrialised countries. Poverty-related diseases are less frequently in focus. On behalf of the German Federal Government, KfW therefore already contributed to the Global Health Investment Fund (GHIF) in 2012 and subsequently to the Adjuvant Global Health Technology Fund (Adjuvant GHTF) as one of the largest donors. The fund was established by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and is also supported by pharmaceutical companies. All investors undertake to make their products available to everyone at affordable prices. The GHIF and the adjuvant GHTF invest, among other things, in products to treat neglected tropical diseases (NTD) and health innovations in poverty-related diseases such as malaria and HIV/AIDS. The funds have mobilised significant private capital and are very successful in supporting drug development.

For many years, KfW Development Bank has also been working to fight tuberculosis and polio by financing vaccines, cold chains, supply systems and laboratories for diagnosing and controlling epidemics. In India, for example, KfW played a part in defeating polio. In 2014, the World Health Organisation certified the country polio-free, and by 2020, the whole of Africa had been declared polio-free.

In the East African Community as well, KfW supports vaccine programmes, including the related supply chains, together with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI), helping to prevent severe respiratory and diarrhoeal diseases, which are among the leading causes of death among children in East Africa.

Good news: the battle to prevent the premature death of mothers and young children has been successful in recent years. According to the UN, the under-five mortality rate has fallen from 9.8 million in 2000 to around 5.3 million in 2018. Maternal mortality has been halved over the past 25 years Despite this progress, around 820 women worldwide continue to die every day from preventable complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Family planning programmes and better care and supervision during pregnancy and childbirth can prevent these deaths.

As a result, KfW is particularly committed to reproductive health. This area accounts for around 34% of all health projects supported. This includes programmes that help to ensure that pregnant women and mothers receive better medical care and are therefore better protected. Better access to information and contraceptives will also facilitate family planning. New family planning commitments in 2019 are expected to protect 7 million people from unplanned and high-risk pregnancies.

Awareness-raising campaigns are an integral part of “social marketing” for family planning and are often accompanied by measures to further reduce the spread of HIV-AIDS. A lot has already been accomplished in this area in Africa.

Activate! – Aids prevention in South Africa

The healthcare systems in developing countries are often poorly equipped. This is also and especially evident in the context of the coronavirus pandemic. In rural areas, people often have to travel long distances to reach hospital wards or clinics, which often do not have the necessary medical equipment and qualified staff.

On behalf of the German Federal Government, KfW Development Bank is helping partner countries to modernise existing health facilities and build new ones. In particular, the various possibilities for containing COVID-19 are being intensely expanded.

With respect to new hospitals, KfW focuses on sustainability. Resource consumption for buildings, technology and processes is being optimised under the banner of “Green Hospital”. Sustainable use of the new infrastructure also requires adequate funding, regular maintenance and sufficient and adequately qualified personnel

KfW also promotes the use of telemedicine, which is becoming increasingly important in rural regions with long distances to facilities. This will significantly improve supply, especially in remote areas and crisis regions.