Group Head of Institutional Banking, DBS
IHH Healthcare (IHH) recently announced that it has secured an SGD 250 million sustainability-linked loan (SLL) from DBS. The facility includes key performance indicators including a key metric promoting responsible antibiotic use across IHH’s four hospitals in Singapore: Mount Elizabeth, Mount Elizabeth Novena, Gleneagles and Parkway East. This is the first known use case in which sustainable financing has been linked to strengthening antibiotic stewardship.
Responsible use of antibiotics is a key line of defense against the rise of drug-resistant bacterial infections caused by overuse or misuse of antibiotics. These infections are harder to treat, place additional strain on healthcare systems and pose a growing threat to ageing populations worldwide.
As part of this effort, IHH is strengthening the tracking of antibiotic “time-outs” – follow-up reviews within 72 hours of starting treatment to assess whether antibiotics should be continued or adjusted. This improves patient outcomes while reducing the risk of drug resistance. Currently, antibiotic time-out compliance rates are not consistently tracked across the healthcare sector.
The initiative also supports Singapore’s National Strategic Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance.
Dilip Kadambi, Group Chief Financial Officer, IHH Healthcare, said, “The sustainability-linked loan with DBS reflects our belief that how we finance our growth matters as much as how we grow. By linking this facility to antibiotic stewardship – a clinical priority with profound implications for patient safety and public health – we are breaking new ground in what sustainable finance can achieve in the healthcare sector and bringing our Care. For Good. aspiration to life.”
Adjunct Associate Professor Keith Lim, Group Chief Medical Officer, IHH Healthcare, added, “We are proud to contribute to Singapore’s National Strategic Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance through this partnership with DBS. Strengthening efforts to tackle one of the most pressing global health threats today ensures that the care we deliver remains clinically effective, socially responsible and sustainable for generations to come.”
Dr Eugene Hong, Head of Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals, Institutional Banking Group, DBS, said, “Antimicrobial resistance is a growing global health risk that demands a concerted effort across the healthcare ecosystem. At DBS, we understand the complex pressures healthcare and pharmaceutical companies face as they balance patient outcomes and evolving sustainability needs. By integrating a first-of-its-kind key performance indicator directly linked to antibiotic stewardship into this sustainability-linked loan, we are not only demonstrating the power of innovative financing but also our commitment to supporting better clinical practices and improving population health outcomes.