Nairobi, Kenya – Royal Philips (AEX: PHIA, NYSE: PHG) today introduces its latest healthcare solutions to the Kenyan market as part of its fourth consecutive Cape Town to Cairo Roadshow.

Philips, will be inaugurating the new neonatal wing at the Gertrude Children’s Hospital in Nairobi which is furnished with advanced Philips healthcare imaging and patient-monitoring technology. A maternity screening camp will also be launched in cooperation with the Gertrude Foundation.

In addition, over a course of three days, Philips will train over 120 local healthcare professionals on fetal monitoring, infant warming, jaundice management and clinical ultrasound as well as co-host with Nation Television (NTV) an expert panel discussion on Healthcare Infrastructure reform in Kenya focusing on solutions and challenges for mother and child care in Kenya. These activities underline Philips’ commitment to contribute to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4&5 and revitalize Kenya’s healthcare infrastructure. 

JJ van Dongen, Senior Vice President & CEO Philips Africa who is in Nairobi in connection with the roadshow says: “I am well aware of the great opportunities this country has to offer. The talent potential in Kenya is tremendous. It is a deliberate choice of Philips to grow its presence in the region by positioning Kenya as Philips’ regional hub for East Africa. Our ambition is to gain a strong presence in this region by building on local talent and organizations, setting up distribution and route to market and above all, by developing solutions and innovations which are relevant for the local needs.”

During his 3-days visit, JJ van Dongen and the local Philips team will engage in strategic dialogues with customers, Government representatives, NGOs and media on the key healthcare challenges facing Kenya today. 

Philips has aligned its roadshow with the UN Millennium Development Goals 4 & 5, focusing on improving maternal health and reducing child mortality; to coincide with Philips’ roadshow, Gertrude Children’s Hospital in Nairobi is inaugurating its neonatal ICU which is furnished with advanced Philips healthcare imaging and patient-monitoring technology.

Mr. Gordon Odundo, CEO of the Gertrude Children’s Hospital: “We are delighted with our collaboration with Philips to secure the most appropriate technology for the Gertrude Children’s Hospital to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. I am very proud that we have the first Philips Ingenuity 128 slice CT scanner with iDose 4 technology in the entire East African region. Jointly with the installment of 2 IntelliVue MX800 and IntelliVue MP50 patient monitors, these healthcare innovations will allow us to improve patient care from diagnosis, to treatment, monitoring, and aftercare. As such we can save lives of more mothers and children.”

For patients with complex medical conditions, 24/7 vigilance is required for the safe delivery of care. Philips’ advanced new patient monitoring systems make this possible, helping to further improve patient care at the neonatal wing of the Gertrude Children’s Hospital.

During the Roadshow 2013 Philips introduces its latest ultrasound and infant warming/ thermo regulation solutions specifically designed for care providers across the wide variety of clinical environments in Africa.

Designed and developed for markets like Kenya, the new Efficia Infant warmer provides reliable infant thermoregulation support for newborns creating a warm and stable environment, which is crucial for a baby’s immediate and long-term survival. The Efficia Infant warmer is designed as an open care environment for newborn infants and provides an intense source of radiant heat energy, controlled by feedback from the baby’s skin temperature. Easy to use and reliable, the Efficia Infant warmer is another example of Philips’ commitment to more cost effective, simplified, patient-focused health care solutions to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in Africa.

Philips also introduces the ClearVue 650, a new advanced imaging ultrasound system with Auto Face Reveal facilitating the visualization of the baby’s face, possibly enhancing parental-fetal bonding¹. The ClearVue 650 is a lightweight and cost-effective system that supports clinicians in examining pregnant women and enhances their diagnostics and decision-making process. In addition to pregnancy care, the ClearVue 650 spans a range of applications from obstetrics and gynecology to cardiology, abdominal, vascular, breast, musculoskeletal, urology and general imaging.

Specifically in Kenya, Philips is also introducing the IntelliVue MX800 at the Gertrude Children’s Hospital; this is an advanced patient monitoring solution, which enables a patient’s vital signs - heart rate, body temperature and blood pressure, to be closely monitored at all times, whichever department the patient is in. The IntelliVue MX800 is an exceptional integration of monitoring and patient information capitalizing on next-generation “IT-centric” bedside applications, which allows quick and easy access to relevant patient information for more informed decisions of critical patients at the point of care.

“We are committed to building a long-term sustainable business footprint in Kenya”, summarizes Peter van de Ven, General Manager, Philips Healthcare Africa. “Driven by a growing population and a rising middle class, the need for quality healthcare in Kenya is developing rapidly. As a leading company in health and well-being we address that need by introducing customized healthcare innovations. With an Africa-relevant product portfolio and a strong historical presence on the continent, Philips is committed to significantly expand its business footprint in Africa in the coming years and is aiming for double digit growth on the continent".

This is the fourth successive time Philips visits Nairobi as part of the Cape Town to Cairo roadshow, illustrating the continuous commitment of Philips to sustain the nationwide rehabilitation of healthcare in Kenya.

The Philips’ Roadshow 2013 kicked-off in Cape Town on May 14th and will make its way across seventeen countries and eighteen cities in Africa. The Roadshow continues its focus on Mother and Child Care, aligned to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 4 & 5. With clinical education and training programs for African healthcare professionals and through large scale healthcare revitalization projects, Philips helps to improve standards of care in Africa. To further drive this agenda, Philips has also launched the collaborative ‘Fabric of Africa’ campaign to drive public-private partnerships and to improve healthcare access across the continent.

The Roadshow will make its next stop in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 25^th June.