This first-of-its kind partnership in the UAE will enable healthcare to increasingly move towards value-based care – improving outcomes that matter to patients at reduced costs
Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA), a global leader in health technology, and du, from Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to collaboratively accelerate the critical, data-driven transformation of healthcare in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in support of the Dubai Health Strategy 2021.
This first-of-its-kind partnership will focus collective efforts on realizing value-based care by improving patient and healthcare professionals’ experiences, delivering better health outcomes, at a lower cost of care across the healthcare continuum.
“Bringing people and businesses together to unlock economic and social transformation has always been at the heart of our operations,” said Farid Faraidooni, Chief New Business & Innovation Office, du. “Although the pandemic undoubtedly altered this laser- focused approach temporarily, with business continuity and seamless connectivity for all our topmost priorities, recent events have also accelerated the pace of momentum to realize the digital transformation required to help people take better care of their health at every stage of life. As a leading national organization, we are proud to contribute to efforts in this direction and look forward to working with our partners at Philips to achieve our shared objectives in due course.”
Crucially, the potential and power of virtualized healthcare extend well beyond COVID-19. For example, the swift and sustained growth of imaging services beyond the hospital has lead to the rise of the tele-ICU or eICU, where off-site healthcare professionals are able to interact and engage with bedside staff about patient care and exchange information in real-time.
In due course, the infrastructure provided by du and paired with Philips’ technological advancements will provide predictive analytics, data visualization, and reporting capabilities to healthcare workers. This winning combination will enable the local health system to access critical patient information, make split-second life-saving decisions, and prevent patient deterioration in general ward settings through early warning scores.
We have seen some inspiring success stories with our Philips eICU programme in delivering value-based care; healthcare professionals have been able to save lives and reduce mortality rates while improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare services – reducing the cost of care and the length of patient hospital stays,” Vincenzo Ventricelli, the Chief Executive Officer for Philips Middle East, Turkey & Africa.
“Our purpose to improve people’s health and well-being through meaningful innovation is at the heart of everything we do. We recognize that ICT and Telecommunication in healthcare allows for faster transmission of information, as well as digitization of complex data, which will accelerate efficient interaction between healthcare professionals and patients. Moreover, technology-enabled care can benefit healthcare professionals and empower them to deliver quality care from anywhere in the world.”
The vision of national leadership captured in the Dubai Health Strategy 2021, coupled with partnerships like that of du and Philips and substantial investments in artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and related technologies, have all facilitated the rapid pace of development and the transformation of healthcare in the UAE.
Going forward, the virtualization of healthcare and more widespread adoption of telehealth will play an increasing role in helping people to live healthily and cope with disease, enabling care providers to meet people’s health needs, improve productivity, and ultimately deliver better outcomes.
About Royal Philips
Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a leading health technology company focused on improving people’s health and well-being, and enabling better outcomes across the health continuum – from healthy living and prevention to diagnosis, treatment and home care. Philips leverages advanced technology and deep clinical and consumer insights to deliver integrated solutions. Headquartered in the Netherlands, the company is a leader in diagnostic imaging, image-guided therapy, patient monitoring and health informatics, as well as in consumer health and home care. Philips generated 2020 sales of EUR 17.3 billion and employs approximately 77,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries.
About du
Operating under the steadfast umbrella of Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Company (EITC), du is an integral driver of the UAE’s economic, social and digital transformation. Thriving on digitally innovating all facets of the contemporary telecom experience, we touch the lives of millions of customers everyday as a dedicated enabler of connectivity, continuity and growth across consumer and enterprise segments. Whether delivering state-of-the-art Smart City infrastructure, bespoke enterprise ICT solutions, government communications, secure data solutions, or the very best in home entertainment and value, we are a reliable telco and ICT player shaping the future of communication for a more connected tomorrow.
