By Dipo Olowookere
A partnership has been entered into by Royal Philips with the Kenya government and the United Nations (UN) to strengthen primary and community healthcare in Africa.
The leading health technology company is coming on board as the first private sector partner to establish an SDG (Sustainable Development Goals) Partnership Platform in Kenya for accelerating primary healthcare transformation in support of universal health coverage.
This unique platform will bring together executive leadership from government, development partners, private sector organizations and civil society to investigate opportunities for accelerating universal access to primary healthcare services in Kenya.
Special focus will be given to addressing gaps in human resources, healthcare financing, essential medicines, medical supplies, health information, and the use of technology.
Speaking on the development, the Cabinet Secretary for Health in Kenya, Dr Cleopa Mailu stressed the commitment of the Kenyan government to “accelerate progress towards universal health coverage. We are open to fostering partnerships that are dynamic and mutually beneficial and we foresee great potential in the SDG partnership platform.”
As part of the deal, Philips will immediately provide support to the platform to start work on establishing a common fact-base on primary healthcare by assessing current and future healthcare needs, so that platform members can jointly identify, design and implement transformative initiatives in pursuit of the platform’s ambitions.
The firm will leverage its in-depth clinical insights, global innovation capabilities, and its experience to sustainably deliver improved healthcare through partnership with national and county level stakeholders. In addition and to ensure continuity, Philips has also committed support for two years to the establishment of the SDG Healthcare Platform Secretariat.
“You cannot achieve prosperity without quality healthcare, so we are excited to come on board and contribute effectively to the SDG Partnership Platform on Primary Healthcare Transformation,” said Mr. Jasper Westerink (http://APO.af/oaqPX5), CEO, Philips Africa. “Philips is passionate about healthcare, because more than in any other sector, it has a direct and dramatic positive impact on the quality of people’s lives. As a key stakeholder in this sector, we are determined to align agendas and incentives that eliminate barriers to healthcare access.
“No single business, institution or government organization can solve this pressing issue on its own. The SDG Partnership Platform underpins our collective responsibility to ensure we all have access to high quality affordable primary healthcare.”
“The constitution of Kenya guarantees the rights to health as contained under article 43. The Council of Governors of Kenya is looking forward to closely collaborating with the SDG Partnership Platform to help accelerate universal access to primary healthcare in Kenya’s 47 counties through unlocking transformative public-private partnership investments,” said Mrs. Jacqueline Mogeni, CEO, Council of Governors, Kenya.
“We are excited about this ambitious new Partnership Platform. Everyone has a role to play in the delivery of the SDGs and partnering with responsible, innovative businesses such as Philips in that process raises our chances of becoming the first generation to end poverty,” added Siddharth Chatterjee, UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative to Kenya.
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