Philips announces major new ASEAN health and well-being study from 3rd ASEAN Symposium on access to healthcare

Jakarta, Indonesia - Philips today committed to undertake a major research project, the Philips Index for health and well-being, examining the health and well-being of people across the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region. The study will provide communities, healthcare systems and governments with a collective view of the current status and needs of the patients and their care providers, to ensure considered solutions to address the healthcare challenges faced by the region.



Speaking at the 3rd ASEAN Symposium on Access to Healthcare, Mr. Wayne Spittle, Senior Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer, Philips Healthcare, Multi-Country Region Asia Pacific said, “At Philips we start with the needs of patients and their care providers because understanding their experiences ensures we create solutions that best meet their needs. That is why today we are committing to undertake a major study of the health and well-being of people in the ASEAN region.”



“The Philips Index for health and well-being will provide a focal point to raise the level of discussion on what matters most to people, communities, healthcare providers and thought leaders. No single person, company or group can meet all the healthcare challenges faced. Starting with the patient and care providers we can begin to examine how to overcome barriers and identify possible collaborations and solutions for meaningful change that can improve the overall health and well-being of people throughout the region.”



As part of its commitment to facilitate Open Innovation, Philips hosted the two day symposium in Jakarta on healthcare in the region. Bringing together over 200 key healthcare leaders from public and private companies, not-for-profits and government, the symposium discussed the critical issues and trends that are impacting the direction of healthcare.

The symposium looked at the specific challenges faced by the Indonesian healthcare system and focused on the problems of access, affordability and availability in a region where those that can afford high-end health services receive access to world-class care in major metropolitan hospitals, whilst those remaining millions, far outside of the coverage belt, receive very little care at all.



Dr. Nova Riyanti Yusuf, Member of Parliament for the Republic of Indonesia, and Commission 9 – Health, Man Power, and Transmigration, Indonesia, attended a roundtable meeting with a number of the participants on day one of the event. Speaking at the press conference, Dr Nova congratulated Philips for providing forums such as the Symposium to enable open dialogue between commercial bodies, NGOs and government.



“This event has demonstrated that bringing together health providers, policy makers and those actively working in the health sector to engage in constructive dialogue is both beneficial and necessary as we face the challenges of providing best practice health services in the emerging ASEAN region. I congratulate Philips for facilitating such a worthwhile event,” said Dr. Nova.



One of the biggest challenges the region faces is information technology infrastructure. With technology set to play a critical role in healthcare delivery, from diagnosis of disease to clinical decision support, integration of the technology is a core requirement for efficient, scalable healthcare delivery and management. Lack of infrastructure also forms a powerful impediment to the introduction of telemedicine solutions in remote, poor areas.



Lack of healthcare workers is a challenge not just for the ASEAN region but the whole world. In Indonesia alone there is estimated to be one doctor for every 10,000 people as compared with the ratio of 5:10,000 elsewhere in the region. This imbalance represents a great opportunity for public and private organizations to engage their collective resources to ensure more healthcare workers are trained and retrained.



“As a company invested in ensuring better healthcare outcomes Philips recognized that we too had a role to play and as such we’ve invested in creating a state-of-the art healthcare learning facility for Asia-Pacific in Singapore. The Centre is the first of its type provided by any healthcare company in ASEAN and we’re both proud and honored to lead the way in training workers around the region to the highest world standards.



“The Singapore Learning Centre allows us to not only train users of our products on how to gain greater efficiencies for their organizations, it also provides an educational environment for healthcare institutions to further educate their own staff”, said Mr Spittle.



The ASEAN region is an important focus for Philips Healthcare with the goal of accelerating access to affordable products that will help address the region’s healthcare delivery challenges.



As a health and well-being company Philips is committed to developing new services and business models, including lower cost technology solutions to help all ASEAN care providers improve access to the best healthcare possible.



As well as their commitment to address the financial cost of products in ASEAN, Philips is also growing the capabilities of the Philips Healthcare Solutions business which offers hospitals with innovative partnership approaches to help control costs, improve services, and eliminate the risk associated with the investment in healthcare technology.

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people’s lives through timely innovations. As a world leader in healthcare, lifestyle and lighting, Philips integrates technologies and design into people-centric solutions, based on fundamental customer insights and the brand promise of “sense and simplicity”. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips employs approximately 116,000 employees in more than 60 countries worldwide. With sales of EUR 23 billion in 2009, the company is a market leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as lifestyle products for personal well-being and pleasure with strong leadership positions in flat TV, male shaving and grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Notes to the Editor

The Philips Index for health and well-being is a study being conducted in a number of countries across the globe, published by the Philips Center for health & well-being. The Philips Index for health and well-being examines the mega-trends that shape each nation’s healthcare, lifestyle and who we are as a society, with a focus on what aspects of health and well-being are most important, how satisfied people are with these aspects, and the role that technology plays in helping society maintain better health and well-being.