Philips publishes new report on Universal Health Coverage in celebration of World Health Day, April 7th

Done in collaboration with Devex, the report pulls in key recommendations for success and provides concrete actions for the private sector to take forward in pursuit of the health and health-related SDGs.

At least 400 million people globally lack access to essential health services, according to the World Health Organization. For some 100 million people, accessing healthcare means being pushed below the poverty line into extreme poverty and debt due to out-of-pocket expenditure, exposing many to the risk of preventable death. 

That’s why it’s so important that Sustainable Development Goal 3 — to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages — along with other SDGs that intersect with health are achieved. But how can that be done in practice and, what role can the private sector play?

In the new report “Taking Action : the road to universal health coverage”, Philips and Devex tap into expert recommendations and lay out three key actions that can be taken to push forward progress : investing in primary care ; building upon and creating partnerships between the private and the public sector; creating innovative business and financing models. 

As a promoter of the Kenya Sustainable Development Goals Partnership Platform and World Economic Forum Primary Healthcare Coalition, Philips is investing in business and financing model innovation and is committed to long-term partnerships with governments and other stakeholders to strengthen their primary health care systems towards universal health coverage. 

One example is an approach in which technology management is offered as a service:  Philips took full responsibility for the renovation of the intensive care units of 11 hospitals across Kenya as part of revitalizing the country’s healthcare network. Philips has also successfully established public-private partnerships in India, Brazil and Indonesia in transforming healthcare services. 

“The finance, innovation, and government communities need to come together and think differently if healthcare challenges are to be solved. This is something that has been agreed at the highest levels of private, government, and international organizations but now is the time for leadership and commitment to filter down to the community level to catalyze action. 2030 is approaching fast.” — Henk Siebren de Jong, Chief of International Markets, Royal Philips.

Read the report on three key actions for global health here.