NAIROBI, Kenya, February 6, 2014/African Press Organization (APO)/ --
Royal Philips (http://www.philips.com) (AEX: PHI, NYSE: PHG) and the
African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF) (http://www.amref.org)
announced that they will work closely together in an innovative
shared-value partnership model designed to bring about a structural
improvement in the healthcare infrastructure and healthcare provision on
the African continent. This long-term strategic partnership aims to
support AMREF in achieving its social goals and will help Philips in its
ambition to improve the lives of people in Africa, while at the same
time realizing growth across the fast-evolving African healthcare
market.
Logo Philips: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/philips-1.jpg
Logo AMREF: http://www.photos.apo-opa.com/plog-content/images/apo/logos/amref.jpg
This
partnership comes at a time when most countries in Africa continue to
contend with existing and emerging healthcare challenges: a high
incidence of infant and maternal mortality (from largely preventable
causes), a sharp increase in the number of people suffering from
non-communicable diseases (cancer, diabetes and heart disease);
inadequately equipped medical facilities; and inadequately trained
clinical staff. For example, a woman in sub-Saharan Africa is a hundred
times more likely to die of a preventable complication related to
pregnancy or childbirth than a woman in Western countries (1).
In
order to compliment local government efforts in tackling these and
other problems, AMREF and Philips will connect their networks and bring
to market new education and training programs designed specifically for
healthcare professionals in Africa. In close cooperation with local
stakeholders, both parties will strive to develop and implement
large-scale projects to improve healthcare infrastructure and make
healthcare more accessible to the local population.
One of
several African organizations with strong educational programs, AMREF
has been active in Africa for over 55 years and is deeply rooted in
rural areas and hospitals. Philips has been active in Africa for over
100 years and, as a leading company in the field of healthcare
innovations, has extensive expertise in healthcare system revitalization
projects, medical technology, healthcare services and the training of
healthcare professionals.
Dr. Teguest Guerma, AMREF's
Director General expressed her delight at this partnership: “This is a
very unique partnership. Philips is part of AMREF's heritage and we are
happy to embark on the next step of working together in formulating
programmes that will utilise innovation to combat the shortage of health
professionals and adopting contemporary solutions that will enable
Africans to get proper health services.”
“To provide
innovative solutions that can deal with the complexity of healthcare in
Africa, Philips is taking a long-term approach aimed at close
collaboration with local and international parties that have strong
engagement in the issues. By teaming up with AMREF, an internationally
respected African healthcare organisation, we are convinced that we can
work toward our goals of making a significant contribution to improving
healthcare in Africa, expanding our activities for providing clinical
and technical training to people, and growing Philips as an organisation
on the African continent,” said Roelof Assies, General Manager, Philips
East Africa.
Large-scale innovation projects
Many
African countries have under-developed infrastructure (roads,
telecommunications, electricity and water) and it is difficult to find
well-trained and motivated personnel who are prepared to work in remote
rural areas. Philips and AMREF will jointly seek ways of developing
large-scale innovation projects in order to modernize the
infrastructure, improve healthcare, and make it accessible in a region
as a whole.
Philips has a long tradition of supporting
ministries in large-scale national healthcare modernisation projects. As
part of such projects, Philips seeks to promote education and training
for healthcare professionals through the provision of e-learning courses
in numerous healthcare-related disciplines. The company has also set up
partnerships with several universities throughout Africa in order to
strengthen students' clinical and technical knowledge and expertise.
AMREF
is also committed to the provision of training through online
e-learning. The success of their initiatives is demonstrated by an
increase in the number of nurses trained in Kenya from 100 to 7,000 per
year, and higher scores by students in exams. AMREF is now providing a
wide range of training courses for various professional groups, from
members of staff in African ministries to the many volunteers (community
health workers) who are deployed across Africa.
The
strategic partnership between Philips and AMREF is a significant result
of Philips' Fabric of Africa initiative - a joint campaign for promoting
public-private partnerships and improving access to health care
throughout the continent.
For more information about the Philips Fabric of Africa campaign, go to http://www.philips.com/Fabric of Africa.
1.
Trends in Maternal Mortality : 1990 to 2008 – WHO, UNICEF,
UNFPA and The World Bank
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2010/9789241500265_eng.pdf
Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of Royal Philips.
For more information:
Radhika Choksey
Philips Corporate Communications - Africa
Tel: +31 62525 9000
E-mail: radhika.choksey@philips.com
Gaye Agesa
Media and PR Officer
African Medical and Research Foundation
Tel: +254 020 6993328
E-mail: gaye.agesa@amref.org
About Royal Philips
Royal
Philips (http://www.philips.com) (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a
diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people's
lives through meaningful innovation in the areas of Healthcare,
Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting. Headquartered in the Netherlands,
Philips posted 2013 sales of EUR 23.3 billion and employs approximately
115,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries.
The company is a leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare,
energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as
well as male shaving and grooming and oral healthcare. News from Philips
is located at http://www.philips.com/newscenter.
About AMREF
AMREF's
vision is for lasting health change in Africa: communities with the
knowledge, skills and means to maintain their good health and break the
cycle of poor health and poverty. AMREF believes in the inherent power
within African communities – that power for lasting transformation of
Africa's health lies within its communities. AMREF shares knowledge
gained from its grassroots programmes with others, and uses it as
evidence to advocate appropriate change in health policy and practice.
In all its programmes, AMREF partners with communities, civil society
organisations, health practitioners and the private and public sectors
to establish a participatory health care system. To learn more visit:
http://www.amref.org
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