Leading with purpose during COVID-19 times

Since the beginning of the pandemic, I’ve been closely monitoring the outbreak in Latin America, working with the local Philips organizations to ensure our teams are safe, and that we are fully supporting our customers on the front line in the fight against coronavirus throughout the region. There have been so many inspiring stories and anecdotes among Philips colleagues in the past months. These show that we are supporting each other and our customers by making the best use of our different areas of expertise. I can only feel very proud of the Philips Latin America team.

For us, working hand in hand with Philips Foundation has been a great experience. Since 2014, the Philips Foundation has been helping underprivileged communities around the world. A Foundation that focuses on strengthening access to healthcare naturally wants to do everything in its power to contain the pandemic and help healthcare providers whenever and wherever needed.

A pandemic of this magnitude can put a lot of pressure on hospitals. Philips Foundation wants to, and can, provide expertise and know-how to relieve that pressure, especially at hospitals and clinics where it is needed most. Offering vital health technologies or providing information on the preventive measures to stop COVID-19 at a local level is an example of a broad commitment, in which Philips' expertise, solutions and innovations can play a substantial role.

Supporting Latin America in the fight against COVID-19

In many countries in Latin America, Philips Foundation has already been supporting healthcare providers on the front line who are doing all they can to deliver the best possible care for those suffering from coronavirus.

To address the COVID-19 emergency in remote parts of Chile, Philips Foundation is supporting Desafío Levantemos Chile Foundation in its efforts to help underserved communities in remote areas by providing point-of-care ultrasound solutions, emergency kits, and medical attention through mobile clinics.

In Mexico, the Foundation has provided ultrasound devices to the National Institute of Cardiology Diseases, located in the center of Mexico’s COVID-19 outbreak. Local health workers are trained, with the help of Philips expertise, to use ultrasound to detect lung abnormalities caused by the virus.

In Ecuador, Philips Foundation will provide mobile ultrasound equipment and expertise, as well as funding for personal protective equipment and lab testing, to increase the COVID-19 response capacity of four hospitals run by the Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil, which is committed to improve access to care and quality of life for those not covered by public or private healthcare.

In Brazil, Philips Foundation has worked with Fundação Faculdade de Medicina da USP to procure and deliver personal protective equipment to primary healthcare workers, and to install emergency equipment, in an effort to combat the coronavirus in São Paulo.

Peru is one of the countries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America. With fears growing for isolated indigenous people in Peru’s Amazon region, where mortality rates are increasing, Philips Foundation will support the isolated Regional Hospital of Loreto with medical equipment to help the collective effort to fight this disease.

In Argentina, Philips Foundation is expanding its support by teaming up with Asociación Civil de Estudios Superiores in Buenos Aires to send emergency medical and personal protection equipment to the Hospital Solidario Austral.

In parallel, Philips is also donating equipment in other countries such as Panama, Mexico and Brazil.

All in this together

These are just some examples of how, at a vital moment like this, Philips Latin America and our colleagues from the Philips Foundation are deploying the knowledge and expertise we have in-house – helping the most vulnerable communities and frontline health workers in Latin America access solutions they need so much during and after this pandemic.

We are walking the talk to improve people’s lives and provide access to healthcare in Latin America. Because, at Philips with support from the Philips Foundation, we lead with our purpose of improving people’s lives in mind. Always.