Today, Philips announced it had opened its first Community Life Center in Kenya to provide access to health care, enablesocial, educational and commercial activities after dusk and enhance safety and security of the neighborhood.
According to JJ van Dongen, CEO Philips Africa “Today the population growth is highest in emerging markets like Africa and innovation can help drive sustainable solutions that bridge the divide between the privileged and lesser privileged sections of society and improve the quality of life at all levels. With the first Community Life Center, we have introduced a new value delivery model and our ambition is to introduce this solution across Africa to drastically improve access to primary health care.”
Community Life Centers also aim at addressing infant mortality and improve maternal health, linked to the current UN Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 (MDGs), a cause to which Philips remains consistently committed.
The Philips Community Life Center has a solar power, efficient and durable indoor and outdoor LED-lighting, health care equipment, laboratory equipment, refrigeration, IT-solutions and water supply and purification. Developed by the Philips Africa Innovation Hub and introduced in collaboration with the County Government of Kiambu in Kenya, the Community Life Center (located at the Githurai Lang’ata Health Center in Kiambu County).
Philips implemented the first phase of the Community Life Center solution in June 2014. A new maternity building was inaugurated containing a Philips ClearVue 650 Ultrasound and monitoring equipment, enabling women to deliver their babies safely. Today the facility delivers an average of two babies per day and this number is expected to grow exponentially in the coming months. Health care workers at the site were empowered through clinical coaching and education.
“Our partnership with Philips comes at a time when the County has a high incidence of infant and maternal mortality resulting from preventable causes and lack of medical facilities”, states H.E William Kabogo, Governor of Kiambu County. “With Philips contributing towards solar energy solutions and state-of-the-art equipment, the County Government was able to focus on the construction of the infrastructure and hiring new staff.