#Health-Infrastructure

Sustainability challenge and related SDGs:

Ensuring #Healthcare4All all remains a persistent challenge. It cannot be achieved without #HealthInfrastructure. Starting from birth, healthcare facilities and skilled health personnel are needed to reduce maternal and infant mortality ratios. Many people live in places where hospitals are far away and not easy to reach. People who have to walk a few hours to reach the nearest hospital may not arrive on time to receive adequate treatment.

But also in countries where #HealthInftrastructure is decent to very good, it remains an essential service to provide healthcare. Available and well-functioning healthcare facilities are indeed one of the prerequisites to achieve SDG3 “Good Health and Wellbeing” but also SDG 10 “Reduced Inequalities” and SDG 11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities”, since healthcare belongs to standard services required to promote social inclusion and ensure sustainable communities.

Possible solutions and their contribution to achieving the SDGs

Building, maintaining and managing healthcare facilities is the first requirement to ensure people have access to hospitals, dialysis centres, rehabilitation centres, nursing homes, or any other type of healthcare facility.

With the recent Covid19 pandemic, we saw a lack of hospital beds, nurses, caregivers, and emergency doctors in many countries. Training and recruiting enough physicians, nurses and caregivers constitute one of the foundations of a well-functioning healthcare system.

Indeed, a hospital cannot be operated without qualified personnel. #HealthInfrastructure relies not only on healthcare facilities but also on healthcare personnel and management.

Primarily related SDG Targets: 3.1, 3.5, 3.8, 3.c, 10.2, 11.1

Investment Rationale and Growth Potential

Whenever the offering of public facilities or public services is missing, investing in private healthcare facilities can contribute to the achievement of SDG3. Healthcare systems are different in each country and in order to ensure #Healthcare4all, investments are needed in both public and private healthcare facilities.

The world’s population is growing but also ageing. It is estimated that by 2050 for the first time in human history, there will be more older people (age 60 years and older) than younger people (age 15 years and under). As ageing is one of the biggest drivers of healthcare demand, the need for #HealthInfrastructure will continue to increase, may it be building new facilities, maintaining or running them. So, investing in #HealthInfrastructure will remain a growing and relevant trend.