Philips completes installation phase of Zambian healthcare
modernisation project
25 June 2008
Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG; AEX: PHI) has completed the
installation phase of a seven-year project to modernize the healthcare
infrastructure of the Republic of Zambia.
The program, part of the Dutch government’s ORET international
development initiative, has seen substantial improvements made to 71
hospitals across the country. It has included the training of over 200
local hospital staff, creating a sustainable skills base that will
ensure a brighter future for the provision of healthcare in the country.
The €25 million project included the installation and maintenance of
diagnostic imaging equipment including mobile x-ray, fluoroscopy,
ultrasound scanners, operating theatres and dental treatment systems.
Funding was provided by the Dutch and Zambian governments, each
contributing 50% of the project’s costs. Holding overall responsibility
for the project implementation, Philips partnered with education
provider Fontys to train a local workforce of radiologists, laboratory
technicians, nurses, midwives and other medical staff.
The ORET initiative is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, which seeks to promote economic growth in developing countries
in order to promote sustainable development and effective poverty
reduction.
Grants from ORET can be used by developing countries to assist in the
purchase of foreign goods and services to build infrastructure including
roads, drinking water facilities and healthcare. Support through the
ORET program is available to over 50 developing countries around the
world. Each potential project is assessed according to its financial,
technical and organizational viability, as well as its sustainable
impact on the local economy.
“From the start of the project in 2002 we’ve worked closely with our
partners in Zambia to provide much more than just technology solutions —
we’ve sought to lay the foundations of an improved system of medical
care,” said Paul Smilde, vice president and CFO for Philips Healthcare
Middle East, Africa and Central Eastern Europe. “The project has had a
tangible and valuable impact on the quality and availability of
healthcare in Zambia. This is due to the combined efforts of the Dutch
government, the Zambian government and the local project team, which
included many local experts.”
The completion of the installation phase of the project was
celebrated during a ceremony held at Kabwe General Hospital in
central Zambia, during which ownership of the medical equipment
installed during the project was officially handed over to the Permanent
Secretary of the Ministry of Health for the Republic of Zambia, Dr SK
Miti. His Excellency the Ambassador of the Netherlands Mr EJM Middeldorp
was present on behalf of the Dutch government.
Philips will continue to maintain the equipment it has installed, and
with its partner Fontys has implemented a ‘train the trainer’ program to
ensure that the benefits of the project continue to be realized for many
years to come. To provide surgical and dental solutions for the project
Philips partnered with Simed, a provider of turnkey healthcare
solutions.
The program is one of a number of projects included in the ORET
international development initiative and part-funded by Dutch
development aid.