Philips brings attention to Multiple Chronic Conditions during the 2019 World Health Assembly in Geneva

Estimated reading time: 3-5 minutes

Jan-Willem Scheijgrond talks at a session co-hosted by Philips: putting Patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions at the heart of Universal Health Coverage (UHC)

Increasingly, patients are suffering from multiple chronic conditions (MCC)– sometimes two conditions, such as diabetes and hypertension, or cancer and HIV, but also three or even four comorbidities. Currently, one out of every three adults globally lives with one or more chronic conditions. MCCs place a significant strain on the health system and patient resources, with costs doubling with each subsequent chronic illness. While the implications for UHC have been discussed on a global and national level, there have been fewer conversations on what it means for patients.

Hosted by Philips, together with Teva, The Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations in Geneva and the NCD Alliance, this panel will focus on how Universal Health Coverage (UHC) can be realized for patients with multiple chronic conditions and the challenges posed to providers and health systems. It will examine existing tools and resources such as generic medicines, lower-cost devices and enhanced technology to better coordinate care around the patient and facilitate better prevention, precision diagnosis, and adherence to care by patients with MCCs. The panel will also explore needed partnerships and mechanisms to support patients within the framework of UHC.

Featured speakers:

Dr. Mojisola Christianah Adeyeye, Director General, Nigerian Food and Drug Administration and Control
Dr. Svetlana Axelrod, Assistant Director-General for Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, World Health Organization
Ambassador Aviva Raz Shechter, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations and other International Organizations
Sir George Alleyne, Director Emeritus, Pan American Health Organization
Iris Beck-Codner, Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications, Teva Pharmaceuticals LTD
Katie Dain, CEO, NCD Alliance
Caroline Muthoni Mate, Founder, The Cancer Café
Dr. Rachel Nugent, Vice President, Global Non-Communicable Diseases, RTI International
Jan-Willem Scheijgrond, Vice-President; Global Head, Government and Public Affairs, Philips
Dr. Cees Smit, Patient Advocate, European Patient Forum

Additionally, Henk de Jong, Chief of International Markets at Philips, discusses MCCs in his latest blog post. He touches upon the many challenges that exist in how global health systems address the problem of multiple chronic conditions and how digital technologies can be utilized as tools to manage MCCs.

Name event: Putting patients with Multiple Chronic Conditions at the heart of UHC

Where: Geneva, Switzerland

Date: May 20, 2019

Speaker: Jan-Willem Scheijgrond

Global Head of Government and Public Affairs at Philips

As the Head of Global Government and Public Affairs at Royal Philips, Jan-Willem heads up the global network within Philips that is responsible for the relations with governments and related stakeholders to address societal challenges in particular in the area of large scale health care transformations. He is also responsible for partnerships such as with the United Nations and International donors. In that role Mr. Scheijgrond is focusing on partnerships that strengthen health systems in support of achieving Universal Health Coverage. Mr. Scheijgrond is a Board Member of the Partnership for Maternal and Newborn Child Health (PMNCH), member of the Global Finance Facility Investors Group and Chairman of the UN Global Compact Netherlands.