Royal Philips, a world pioneer in healthcare technology, and The African Union (www.AU.int) today announced a significant new collaboration aimed at expanding healthcare infrastructure and access to care in the Member States of the African Union by enhancing access to healthcare facilities. Via the Africa Medical Supplies Platform (AMSP), Philips and the African Union will contribute to the procurement of a variety of medical equipment, including state-of-the-art ventilators, patient monitoring equipment, ultrasound point-of-care scanners, oxygen concentrators and digital mobile radiography systems, in response to the immediate needs of healthcare facilities and patients with COVID-19.
Special Envoy Strive Masiyiwa of the African Union said “There is still a massive shortage of ventilators on the African continent, which is why it is necessary to partner with Philips to help us overcome the financial and technical constraints of our current healthcare systems.
In addition to the supply of additional equipment through the AMSP network, state and government hospitals and private hospital chains will be able to exchange their obsolete ventilators for the Philips Hospital Ventilator of the next generation under favourable conditions before 31 March 2021. Wherever feasible, as part of Philips’ EcoDesign programme, redundant ventilators would be disposed of or refurbished sustainably.
“The lack of access to affordable, quality healthcare is one of the most urgent issues of our time,” said Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips. “Although the situation has only deteriorated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the improvements we are making together to expand access to care in underserved communities and to upgrade ageing facilities will strengthen health infrastructure both now and in the longer term.”
The partnership will expand the reach of Philips’ existing Med-Talks Platform, which offers peer-to-peer networking webinars targeted at the clinical community, in addition to providing much needed medical equipment. Via case studies and best practice sharing, these webinars are designed to stimulate ongoing professional growth and provide access to the latest protocols and learning from around the globe. Coordinated by AMSP, Philips’ cooperation with the African Union ensures that people across Africa, with the best technologies and know-how available, will be able to access the treatment they need from qualified local healthcare staff.
Dr John Nkengasong, Director of the African Union’s Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said the Africa CDC is developing the right partnerships to put this COVID-19 pandemic under control in Africa and improve our health systems to tackle potential disease outbreaks.” The AMSP brings many agencies together to partner with us to provide our healthcare facilities with the right equipment and medical supplies. This latest collaboration with Philips is a remarkable addition that will provide healthcare facilities in Africa with long-term benefits.
The AMSP is an online marketplace that enables the availability, at affordable prices, of medical equipment for acute COVID-19 treatment in Africa to achieve greater impact and scope, while also simplifying fast-track delivery procurement and distribution networks. Under the leadership of the AU Special Envoy, Strive Masiyiwa, the AMSP was created. It was established in collaboration with the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and is powered by Janngo (www.Janngo.africa) on behalf of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
