Advancing Healthcare through Digital Transformation in El Salvador (WB-P518482)

Countries
  • El Salvador
Geographic location where the impacts of the investment may be experienced.
Financial Institutions
  • World Bank (WB)
International, regional and national development finance institutions. Many of these banks have a public interest mission, such as poverty reduction.
Project Status
Proposed
Stage of the project cycle. Stages vary by development bank and can include: pending, approval, implementation, and closed or completed.
Bank Risk Rating
U
Environmental and social categorization assessed by the development bank as a measure of the planned project’s environmental and social impacts. A higher risk rating may require more due diligence to limit or avoid harm to people and the environment. For example, "A" or "B" are risk categories where "A" represents the highest amount of risk. Results will include projects that specifically recorded a rating, all other projects are marked ‘U’ for "Undisclosed."
Voting Date
Jan 27, 2027
Date when project documentation and funding is reviewed by the Board for consideration and approval. Some development banks will state a "board date" or "decision date." When funding approval is obtained, the legal documents are accepted and signed, the implementation phase begins.
Borrower
Ministry of Finance
A public entity (government or state-owned) provided with funds or financial support to manage and/or implement a project.
Sectors
  • Communications
  • Education and Health
The service or industry focus of the investment. A project can have several sectors.
Investment Type(s)
Loan
The categories of the bank investment: loan, grant, guarantee, technical assistance, advisory services, equity and fund.
Investment Amount (USD)
$ 200.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Loan Amount (USD)
$ 200.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Project Cost (USD)
$ 200.00 million
Value listed on project documents at time of disclosure. If necessary, this amount is converted to USD ($) on the date of disclosure. Please review updated project documents for more information.
Bank Documents
Primary Source

Original disclosure @ WB website

Updated in EWS Sep 16, 2026

Disclosed by Bank Sep 4, 2026

Contribute Information
Can you contribute information about this project?
Contact the EWS Team

Project Description
If provided by the financial institution, the Early Warning System Team writes a short summary describing the purported development objective of the project and project components. Review the complete project documentation for a detailed description.

According to bank's website, the proposed project aims to support the Government of El Salvador in scaling up Doctor SV, a national telemedicine platform that integrates AI tools to expand access to and improve the quality of ambulatory care services. Doctor SV is free of charge, operates nationwide, and is fully government-owned, functioning under the institutional framework of the Ministry of Health through El Salvador's National Hospital. As of July 2026, Doctor SV had reached 1.7 million registered users and delivered 3.5 million consultations through a workforce of approximately 3,300 physicians. While all clinical decisions are made by human healthcare providers, Doctor SV incorporates an AI-assisted clinical decision support system that aids in triage and provides diagnostic recommendations. The platform issues integrated electronic prescriptions redeemable through a network of pharmacies (420 as of July 2026), and digital referrals via secure QR codes to imaging centers (150 as of July 2026) and laboratories (287 as of July 2026). A citizen feedback module monitors service quality across all interactions. The platform has evolved across two successive phases: a first phase spanning November 2025 to April 2026 focused on reactive care for acute conditions, and a second phase broadening its scope to the proactive and preventive management of chronic conditions. Through this integration, Doctor SV is evolving from a clinical tool into a broader strategic management hub -- the connective tissue of a more integrated, equitable, and responsive national health system.The proposed Program is designed to support the scale-up of Doctor SV, particularly its second phase focused on chronic conditions, as well as the institutional and organizational arrangements needed to strengthen its management hub function. 

Investment Description
Here you can find a list of individual development financial institutions that finance the project.

Total Project Cost: US$ 200.00 million

Commitment Amount: US$ 200.00 million 


Contact Information
This section aims to support the local communities and local CSO to get to know which stakeholders are involved in a project with their roles and responsibilities. If available, there may be a complaint office for the respective bank which operates independently to receive and determine violations in policy and practice. Independent Accountability Mechanisms receive and respond to complaints. Most Independent Accountability Mechanisms offer two functions for addressing complaints: dispute resolution and compliance review.

Task Team Leader: Gianluca Cafagna

Title: Senior Health Specialist

ACCESS TO INFORMATION

To submit an information request for project information, you will have to create an account to access the Access to Information request form. You can learn more about this process at: https://www.worldbank.org/en/access-to-information/request-submission

ACCOUNTABILITY MECHANISM OF THE WORLD BANK

The World Bank Inspection Panel is the independent complaint mechanism and fact-finding body for people who believe they are likely to be, or have been, adversely affected by a World Bank-financed project. If you submit a complaint to the Inspection Panel, they may investigate to assess whether the World Bank is following its own policies and procedures for preventing harm to people or the environment. You can contact the Inspection Panel or submit a complaint by emailing ipanel@worldbank.org. Information on how to file a complaint and a complaint request form are available at: https://www.inspectionpanel.org/how-to-file-complaint

How it works

How it works