Philips facilitates medical access to 7 million people

“2020 was a very difficult year with the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, which reminded us of the importance of global access to high-quality healthcare from a clear perspective,” he says. Margot Cooijmans, director of the Philips Foundation. “The urgency of our supportive responses around the world has had a huge impact. I am very grateful to all partners who collaborated with us in 2020 to provide lasting healthcare and change in underserved communities. I also thank the Philips and Philips Foundation employees for their continued support and energy in carrying out our mission.”

The Covid-19 Response

When the Covid-19 pandemic happened in early 2020, The Philips Foundation has stepped up efforts to protect the communities most at risk. Some notable examples highlighted in the organization’s annual report include:

• Sanitary fittings for Thunder Good Mountain Hospital (China): With the support of Philips China, the Philips Foundation donated $ 2 million in urgently needed medical equipment to the new Thunder God Mountain Hospital in Wuhan to support the prevention and treatment of Covid-19-related pneumonia.

• An artificial intelligence program to discover and monitor Covid-19 patients (South Africa): With support and funding from the Netherlands Trade Agency (RVO) and the Dutch Development Bank FMO, the Philips Foundation helped develop an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program that delves into the analysis of chest mammograms for rapid triage and monitoring of Covid-19 patients in 11 hospitals in the South Africa.

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning to determine the outbreak (Africa): The Philips Foundation donated to create a virus outbreak data network in Africa with the goal of improving traceability, accessibility, interoperability, and reuse of digital assets, including data from African health systems, to identify and contain Covid-19 outbreaks.

• Emergency deployment of intensive care units (Italy and Lebanon): Deployment and logistical support to set up 20-bed mobile intensive care units that can be rapidly deployed to places where Covid-19 threatens to overwhelm local health infrastructures. With financial assistance from the AFAS Foundation and the Noaber Foundation, two of these units were deployed in the Lombardy region and in Sardinia in Italy, while cooperation with Philips Lebanon, the Lebanese Army and the General Directorate for Protection EU Civil and Humanitarian Aid allowed the deployment of another of these units in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. .

• Emergency aid in SpainThe Philips Foundation collaborated with the Spanish Red Cross on this organization’s emergency response program in Spain. In addition, through Philips Ibérica, essential and home personal care products have been donated to the field hospitals established in various parts of Spain.

In addition to these efforts related to the response to Covid-19, the Philips Foundation has launched various projects and has kept some projects that are already in place and are very successful in operation. Two notable examples are the joint initiative of the Philips Foundation and UNICEF Funding and supporting the “Maker Innovation” project in Kenya Collaborating with the global NGO action plan to launch the “Clean Air in Schools” program.

• Maker Innovation is a project in Kenya To transform the healthcare system from within and provide mothers and their newborns with better medical care in under-resourced settings. To do so, it fosters practical innovation and entrepreneurship to design and manufacture local solutions that meet those needs. The project has its own space, “Maker Space,” which contains digital fabrication tools and equipment for use by University of Nairobi students. Thanks to Philips Foundation support and training by Philips, the project has so far led to the development of 19 prototypes of medical devices, seven of which are suitable for advanced development.

• “Clean Air in Schools” is a program designed to provide schools with itEducators, parents and local authorities in the UK and Ireland are an externally validated action plan to address the problem of air pollution around schools. Scientific evidence suggests that reducing air pollution around schools could lead to a 20 to 50 percent reduction in the number of children with poor lung function.[1]. This program has received such acclaim that it is now starting to roll it out in various schools in Spain.

New address

In 2020, the Philips Foundation made a strategic decision to focus on partnerships with social entrepreneurs to develop healthcare technologies and sustainable models that provide disadvantaged communities with affordable access to healthcare. The models that support Philips’ innovative business, expertise and resources To facilitate solutions development and scaling up.

The Philips Foundation helped 50 health franchisees in Uganda, Small businesses in local communities selling over-the-counter medicines and health products, to expand their services with diagnostic tools and telemedicine services. This has resulted in increased public awareness of disease, a better understanding of patient conditions, reduced patient expenses, and increased productivity.

In addition, the Philips Foundation provided funding to CheckUps Medical, a company that provides affordable primary health care services in Kenya and South Sudan, to help more low-wage families obtain medication and healthcare, launch a mobile clinic, and expand home care and healthcare. For CheckUps. The remote consulting services that started during the incarceration of those countries. The Philips Foundation also facilitated the creation of the Solvoz rapid humanitarian aid platform, as well as Mondmaskerfabriek, which at the start of the Covid-19 virus crisis was the first manufacturer of surgical masks in the Netherlands.

As you advance in your goal, Philips Foundation will continue to drive and support innovation And create scalable models that make health care more equitable and open for the millions of people who live in disadvantaged communities.