Beijing, China/Washington, D.C., April 27, 2011
—IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is partnering with Singapore-based Q & M Dental Group to help widen access to high-quality dental care, support the transfer of management and clinical best practices, and create employment opportunities for dental workers in China.
IFC's $15 million financing comprises a $5 million convertible loan and a $10 million senior loan to Q & M Dental Group (Singapore) Limited. It will be used to establish a network of reputable dental clinics and laboratories in China. Once Q & M achieves its objectives of transferring technology, operational practices, and skills in these cities, it will work with established local Chinese partners to expand its services beyond the main urban areas to frontier markets.
"Our partnership with IFC, given its broad experience in investing in private sector health care and high environmental and social standards, will strengthen Q & M's expansion in China and help us deliver international standards of dental care in markets with growing demand," said
Dr. Ng Chin Siau, Chief Executive Officer of Q & M Dental Group.
Sérgio Pimenta, IFC Director for Manufacturing, Agribusiness, and Services in Asia, said, "IFC looks forward to sharing industry knowledge with Q & M and supporting its expansion strategy in China, especially into the frontier regions in the longer term. Partnering with Q & M also provides a positive signal to investors about the attractiveness and viability of the private health care sector in China."
The proposed IFC investment in Q & M Dental Group is closely aligned with the Chinese government's and IFC's objective of raising health-care standards and improving medical access. This can have a significant positive impact on increasing access of quality health-care services, creating employment opportunities, and transferring technical know-how to Chinese medical professional staff.
About IFC
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, is the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in developing countries. We create opportunity for people to escape poverty and improve their lives. We do so by providing financing to help businesses employ more people and supply essential services, by mobilizing capital from others, and by delivering advisory services to ensure sustainable development. In a time of global economic uncertainty, our new investments climbed to a record $18 billion in fiscal 2010. For more information, visit
www.ifc.org
.
About Q & M Dental Group (Singapore) Limited
Q & M Dental Group (Singapore) Limited is Singapore's largest private dental health care group, with 40 dental clinics located island-wide, two dental centers, and a mobile dental clinic. The company has treated more than 400,000 patients in Singapore and has a team of more than 120 dentists and oral-health therapists, supported by about 300 dental surgery assistants. Q & M also has a dental laboratory that fabricates dental prosthesis such as crowns, bridges, dentures, and retainers. It is listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. For more information, visit
http://www.qandm.com.sg/home.aspx
.
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