Philips commits to strengthen healthcare infrastructure in Ghana

Royal Philips Electronics (AEX: PHI, NYSE: PHG), with its local partner F. Malawi Engineering Company Ltd has announced their commitment to improving maternal and child health care in Ghana.

Addressing stakeholders in Accra during the Ghana stopover of its third consecutive Cairo to Cape Town road show 2012, Philips highlighted its history in Ghana; and its dedication to improving the value proposition it brings to Mother and Child care in Ghana through the introduction of relevant solutions, partnerships and clinical training workshops for doctors, clinicians and healthcare workers on an ongoing basis.

This is the first time that the road show is visiting Ghana. The main focus of the road show is on Mother and Child Care, supporting the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 & 5 which aim to reduce child deaths by two-thirds and maternal deaths by three-quarters by 2015.

As a signatory to the MDGs, Ghana is committed to achieve MDGs 4 & 5; the government has in place a MDG Acceleration Framework (MAF) – Ghana Action Plan developed by the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the United Nations Country Team.

The focus of the Action Plan is on MDG 5 because the progress in reducing the maternal mortality ratio by three quarters by 2015 is off track. The MAF focuses on improving maternal health at the level of both community and health care facilities in order to achieve accelerated reduction in maternal and newborn deaths.

Philips is engaging with the Government and local stakeholders to understand their unique requirements and develop relevant technology to support their needs on maternal and infant care.

West African regional office in Accra
Philips also reiterated its commitment to strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the region by establishing its first West African regional office in Accra which will be functional in the third quarter of 2012. Philips currently has a project office in Ghana but intends to develop this into a West African regional hub office to provide dedicated support to Ghana and the region for all its sectors – healthcare, lighting and consumer lifestyle.

The new regional office will support the local channel partners across the West African markets and allow Philips to be closer to customers and key decision makers, broaden its reach and expand the range of product offerings and customer services.

Philips has a long history in Ghana serving both the public and private sector. More specifically, Philips Healthcare has been engaging with the Ghanaian Ministry of Health to revitalize the healthcare infrastructure in a country wide project that has seen substantial improvements made to over 110 hospitals across Ghana.

“As a leading company in health and well-being, Philips aims to help transform the quality of healthcare in Ghana and other African countries through meaningful solutions, innovations and partnerships. Our expansion and continued growth in Africa is a testament to our unwavering commitment to the region, and is part of a strategic vision of Africa as an important growth market for the company,” says Roelof Assies, Director and District Manager, Philips Healthcare Africa. “The decision to develop Ghana as the West African Regional HQ is because of its stable economy, safe and peaceful environment, availability of human resources, good communications network and proactive and strong local Government”.

Philips provides clinical training to increase quality of healthcare workforce

Philips is dedicated to help Ghanaian healthcare workers accomplish safe childbirths and improve healthy motherhood and infancy. In Accra, Philips is conducting dedicated clinical training workshops on baby resuscitation, fetal monitoring and clinical ultrasound for obstetricians, midwives, maternity nurses, pediatricians and ultrasound Practitioners at the Ridge Hospital to support the drive to train and equip health workers to provide equitable and sustainable basic health services to all - particularly mothers and children.

“Philips remains committed to addressing the lack of availability of trained and skilled healthcare professionals across Africa by providing clinical education and training as part of the Cairo to Cape Town road show,” says Roelof Assies, Director and District Manager, Philips Healthcare Africa. “Maternal health has become an important public priority in Ghana, which makes the training of future healthcare professionals an essential part of reducing pregnancy-related mortality rates. Philips is in active discussions with local healthcare stakeholders to establish a dedicated training framework, to increase the output of trained and skilled healthcare professionals in the country.”

Dr Obeng Apori, Medical Director, Ridge Hospital states “We appreciate the investment in people, technology and resources that Philips is bringing to Ghana and its healthcare industry. With Philips' commitment to clinical training of the local healthcare workforce, Philips has proven to be a valuable partner making a tangible and valuable impact on the quality and availability of healthcare in Ghana. They understand that it is not enough to simply supply and install equipment; we believe that an ongoing collaboration with Philips will enhance opportunities and improve the quality of care we offer”.

Philips introduces reliable, affordable technology for safer childbirths in the Ghanaian market

Philips also unveiled its latest ultrasound and monitoring products specifically designed for caregivers across the wide variety of clinical environments in Ghana.

The introduction of ClearVue, a family of ultrasound solutions that provide cost effective yet high quality imaging will support clinicians examining pregnant mothers and enhance their decision-making process. Next to pregnancy care, the ClearVue system serves patients in a wide range of applications, including cardiology, abdominal, obstetrics, fertility, vascular, breast and musculoskeletal imaging.

Philips also introduces IntelliVue (MP20/30, MP40/50), a range of bedside patient monitors that offer a real-time view of patients' physiological information. The sensitive patient monitors enable clinicians to help identify subtle changes in the mother's or baby's physical condition, resulting in faster and more efficient care. With access to affordable patient monitoring equipment like the IntelliVue range, clinicians have the ability to observe a patient's vital signs and make more informed, timely decisions about patient care.

Philips Cairo to Cape Town road show 2012 road show

Philips' road show started in Cairo on May 14th and will make its way across eleven countries and seventeen cities in Africa. During the road show, Philips will showcase its new innovations and engage with customers, governments, NGOs and media on topics relating to key challenges facing Africa today.

The next stop is in Lagos on 19th June, 2012.