Philips bets on low-cost technology to win a piece of healthcare market

Kiambu residents can now look forward to better healthcare following the recent refurbishment of the Kiambu District Hospital.

The hospital, which acts as a referral facility for the county’s more than one million residents, had been in a sorry state until the authorities struck a deal with global health equipment maker Phillips to upgrade it.

For all its woes, the hospital — ranked third nationally in terms of daily birth rates — was often the only option available to many expectant women.

A few who had the money sought treatment in private hospitals while some opted to take their chances with home delivery, putting their lives and those of their unborn children at risk.

But the situation has improved after Philips partnered with the county government to revamp the hospital’s maternity and child wards as well as install modern medical equipment.

The walls have been painted and decorated in hues that create a serene and calming environment for mothers and their babies. The floors have new tiles and cabinets built.

For Philips, this project is also aimed at showcasing the power of technological innovation in solving major health hurdles afflicting people in developing nations.

Kenya currently has one of the highest maternal and child deaths worldwide, which has compromised its chances of attaining most of the health-related millennium development goals (MDGs).

Over 6,000 women die every year from pregnancy-related complications while another 108,000 children die before their fifth birthday.

Yet, these deaths can be curtailed through the adoption of appropriate medical technologies and infrastructure which for a long time have been a preserve of wealthy nations due to their exorbitant costs.

To address these technological gaps and facilitate universal access to good primary care irrespective of one’s economic background, medical equipment companies such as Philips are now coming up with innovations that are designed to meet the needs of the developing world.

“We are investing in technologies that are made in Africa for Africa to address conditions here,” said Roelof Assies, general manager for Philips East Africa.

The rehabilitated Kiambu hospital is intended to serve as a model facility. The new medical equipment is aimed at withstanding challenges that most healthcare facilities in rural areas experience such as limited financial resources, water shortages, inadequate human resource and erratic electric power.

Philips is not alone in this endeavour. Other multinational medical equipment companies like General Electric and Mindray are also increasingly reaching out to vulnerable populations in developing nations with tailor-made infrastructure that suit their needs.

In so doing, they are also increasing their market reach with an aim of generating revenue from a segment that was previously ignored but is now proving profitable due to the need and high demand for medical technologies.

Ultrasound machines, for example, are important for monitoring pregnancies. But the conventional cart-based ones are often too costly for rural facilities.

Philips addressed this challenge by supplying the hospital with a lo- cost, mobile and easy to use ultrasound machine known as VISIQ.

The tablet-sized machine with high resolution imaging in a small, lightweight package can easily be carried around by doctors to remote areas, targeting expectant women who are not able to come to the hospital.

This can make it possible for them to have four ante-natal check-ups as per the World Health Organisation recommendations.

The machine’s easy-to-use touch screen interface that guides users on its functionalities makes VISIQ ideal for rural facilities that may lack tech-savvy personnel.

The ultrasound also comes equipped with a battery that can support up to two-and-half hours of scanning in case of electricity outages common in these areas.

Kiambu District Hospital handles many patients each day, leading to long queues and treatment delays.

To reduce patient waiting time and quickly asses their general health, Philips installed a high speed vital signs machine known as VS2+ that rapidly checks body temperature, blood pressure, and heart and breathing rates.

The information collected by the VS2+ is electronically saved in the machines, thereby allowing doctors to easily access patients’ information at the touch of a button.

As part of the upgrading process, Philips replaced previous fluorescent tubes with digital light emitting diode (LED) technology which consume less energy thus greatly reducing the hospital’s electricity consumption.

These digital lights do not emit heat and are therefore gentle on patients, especially the delicate skin of new born babies.

Since LED bulbs do not use mercury, which is a poisonous metal, they are easy to handle and dispose in case of breakages.

Philips has also installed four LED flood lights in the hospital’s compound to improve security and provide a comfortable working environment for health workers. The lights also make it easier for patients to access the facility at night.

Women who give birth at the hospital are also provided with the Philips-Avent breast pumps that allows them to easily express milk for feeding their babies when they are away from home.

This low-cost technology enables women to adhere to the World Health Organisation guidelines which recommend that mothers exclusively breastfeed their children for six months, then gradually complement the milk with other solid foods up to two years of age and beyond.

Mother’s milk reduces a child’s chances of succumbing to several preventable disease including diarrhoea and pneumonia.

This is the second such facility that Philips has helped refurbish in Kiambu through a public-private partnership.

The first one was the Githurai-Langata health centre, which, aside from receiving medical equipment, also had a borehole sunk and a solar power system installed to provide cheap electricity. After its upgrade, the health centre will be elevated to a level 3 facility.

“The work done in the two hospitals shows the power of public-private partnerships in solving looming healthcare problems in the country,” said Mr Roelof, adding that Philips plans to extend the initiative to other counties.

Meanwhile, Philips is also one of the companies selected to implement the nationwide medical equipment leasing project. Through this arrangement, the company is charged with the responsibility of installing intensive care unit equipment to county hospitals.