Philips reinforces commitment to improve 3 billion lives each year by 2025

Philips makes extended commitment to improve the lives of 300 million people in underserved healthcare communities by 2025

Royal Philips, a global leader in health technology, is reinforcing its commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by launching a series of global programs that enable and strengthen access to healthcare around the world. To deliver on its promise, Philips is teaming up with governments and NGOs, clinical customers, consumers and others to fulfil its company vision to improve 3 billion lives each year by 2025. In addition, Philips has extended its prior commitment to underserved healthcare communities with a new pledge to improve the lives of 300 million people a year by 2025 including women and children.

“At Philips we believe there’s always a way to make life better,” said Frans van Houten, CEO of Royal Philips. “This is why we set out to improve the lives of 3 billion people each year by 2025. We are already well on our way, having touched the lives of 2.1 billion people in the last year.  We strongly believe that through the use of technology and responsible leadership, we can help increase access to quality healthcare and improve health outcomes for all.”

Increasing pledge to support access to healthcare

In 2014, Philips pledged to support the United Nation’s Every Woman Every Child initiative committing to improve the lives of at least 100 million women and children in Africa and South East Asia by 2025.  This year, Philips is increasing that commitment to 300 million people in underserved markets, thereby recognizing the often-critical needs of women and children in many communities, but also the added burden arising from the increase in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in communities already struggling without adequate access to healthcare.

Shaping healthcare causes with consumers

Yesterday, on Sunday, Philips sponsored the Social Good Summit in New York, where it launched in 15 countries its Better Me, Better World initiative. The platform provides consumers with personal benefits while giving them the opportunity to help prioritize the additional health and healthcare causes that Philips will support through the Philips Foundation in 2018. Addressing health topics ranging from community access to healthcare, first aid training and ensuring healthy lifestyles for children are at the heart of the Philips Foundation’s mission to reduce health inequality through meaningful innovation. It does this by deploying the expertise, knowledge and innovative skills of Philips in collaborative projects with humanitarian organizations, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross to design, adopt and deploy solutions that are sustainable and inclusive.

Broadening expertise in primary healthcare solutions

Tomorrow, on Tuesday, Philips will host a high-level event gathering together the Rockefeller Foundation and Devex on the critical topic of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).  Achieving UHC means that all people everywhere will have access to quality essential health services without incurring financial risk.  Strong primary care facilities in the community are key to ensuring UHC, which is why in July, Philips in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Government of Mandera County, Kenya, opened a new Community Life Center (CLC) in Mandera County. The newly inaugurated CLC will provide the community with modern, high quality, integrated health services.