May 28, 2020
- Support provided by the Philips Foundation helped 5 million more people to access one or more healthcare services in 2019
- Almost 900,000 lives were improved as a result of the foundation’s 2018-2019 employee volunteering program to fight childhood pneumonia
- Additional 38 projects launched in 2019 to explore new ways of providing access to healthcare for disadvantaged communities
Amsterdam, the Netherlands – Philips Foundation, with its mission to provide access to quality healthcare for disadvantaged communities through innovation, today announced publication of its 2019 Annual Report. The report outlines a year of substantial progress in providing access to quality healthcare for disadvantaged communities, capturing many of the activities that aim to achieve lasting change in local healthcare systems. With more than 200 projects running or successfully completed during the foundation’s five-year history, more than 5 million additional people gained access to one or more health services in 2019 thanks to its support.
In order to fulfil its mission in support of UN Sustainable Development Goal 3 (ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages), the Philips Foundation teams up with social entrepreneurs, societal bodies and humanitarian organizations such as Ashoka, UNICEF, Save the Children, Amref and many others. In total, 38 new projects across the world were approved in 2019, enhancing and supporting programs ranging from education on healthy living and disease prevention, to practical support for improved diagnoses, better treatments and healthcare workforce capacity building. The Philips Foundation supported projects with local NGOs across 22 countries, improving access to care for the vulnerable communities they serve.
“In 2019, as in previous years, we put all our efforts into improving access to affordable quality healthcare for disadvantaged communities worldwide,” says Margot Cooijmans, Director of the Philips Foundation. “With the COVID-19 pandemic’s unprecedented impact on healthcare systems and patients globally, the mission of the Philips Foundation is more relevant than ever. We remain fully focused on disadvantaged communities around the world that lack sufficient access to quality healthcare, leveraging the expertise, innovation and skills of Philips and its employees to help create system change and deploy intelligent responses to the coronavirus outbreak and other sudden events that adversely affect disadvantaged communities’ access to care.”
Employee volunteering – positively impacting global access to care
Leveraging Philips’ expertise in respiratory care, the Philips Foundation developed, launched and coordinated a global volunteering program in 2019 solely focused on reducing childhood pneumonia. Despite being easily prevented, diagnosed and treated, childhood pneumonia still causes many casualties in children under the age of five worldwide. Due to the strong commitment of Philips’ employees, the program improved access to care for a combined total of more than 893,000 people in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, Malawi and India.
In the coming years, the foundation’s employee volunteering program will focus on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes. Philips employees will also be able to help combat the COVID-19 outbreak within the possibilities and necessary safety measures.
Fighting health inequality now more relevant than ever
The year 2019 ended with the outbreak of COVID-19, an unprecedented public health crisis that will affect the livelihood of billions of people. In combatting today’s COVID-19 pandemic, the Philips Foundation aims to intensify its global partnerships to ensure proper support for people living in countries with weaker healthcare systems. To see how the Philips Foundation is supporting the fight against COVID-19 in 2020, view this interactive map.
To read the full Philips Foundation 2019 Annual Report, click here.
For further information, please contact:
Yannick Eshuijs
Philips Foundation
Tel.: +31 6 1852 6633
E-mail: yannick.eshuijs@philips.com
About the Philips Foundation
The Philips Foundation is a registered charity that was established in July 2014 – founded on the belief that innovation and collaboration can help solve some of the world’s toughest healthcare challenges for the underserved and make essential impact. Reflecting our commitment to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages) and 17 (Revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development), the mission of the Foundation is to reduce healthcare inequality by providing access to quality healthcare for disadvantaged communities. The Philips Foundation fulfills its mission by deploying Philips’ expertise, innovative products and solutions, by collaborating with key partners around the world (including respected NGOs such as UNICEF, Amref and ICRC), and by providing financial support for the collaborative activities. More information on the Philips Foundation can be found at www.philips-foundation.com
