NephroPlus signs Rs 69.5 crores loan with ADB to expand in Uzbekistan

New Delhi: NephroPlus, a dialysis network and dialysis care in India signed a Rs 69.5 Crores financing package with Asian Development Bank (ADB) for building four large dialysis centres in Uzbekistan. The transaction is a broader partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Republic of Uzbekistan, after securing a contract worth $100M, where NephroPlus will independently commission and operationalize these centres.

The transaction comprises a loan of up to Rs 41.7 Crores from ADB’s capital resources and administration by ADB of a loan of up to INR 27.8 Crores million from Leading Asia’s Private Infrastructure Fund (LEAP).

NephroPlus will primarily use the funds to design, build, operate and maintain the dialysis centres in Tashkent city, the Republic of Karakalpakstan, and the Khorezm region. The dialysis centre in Tashkent will have 160 machines capacity.

“We are pleased to introduce peritoneal dialysis in Uzbekistan to improve access to dialysis for pediatric patients and also patients in rural areas. We are happy to be the private partner for Uzbekistan’s first international health care- Public-Private-Partnership(PPP) project and to embark on a relationship with ADB,” said Vikram Vuppala, Founder and CEO, NephroPlus.

Under this deal, ADB will also support NephroPlus in enhancing and implementing a gender action plan to increase women’s participation in technical and skilled work in dialysis treatment centres.

“Dialysis allows people with kidney failure to lead productive lives. Unfortunately, the need for dialysis services in Uzbekistan has far outstripped supply, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said ADB’s Private Sector Operations Department Investment Specialist Amanda Tan.