Siemens Healthineers
A UNICEF corporate partner since 2022
The medical technology company, Siemens Healthineers and UNICEF partner to help improve access to healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa.
Siemens Healthineers and UNICEF have joined forces to help optimize Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostics networks, strengthen health systems strained by the protracted COVID-19 pandemic and foster community engagement.
Through a 5 million EUR grant, Siemens Healthineers supports UNICEF’s work helping to prevent maternal, newborn and child deaths and promote the health and development of all children.
The challenge
Despite being preventable and treatable, common infectious diseases such as early infant HIV or tuberculosis are still major causes of death among young children. In 2020, globally, more than 5 million children under the age of 5, nearly half of them newborn babies, and 2.2 million children and youth aged 5 to 24 died, mostly from preventable causes.
Many families in lower- and middle-income countries, especially in remote areas, have limited access to healthcare and diagnostic medical testing. Challenges include restricted capacities in infrastructure and human resources; and ineffective referral and transportation of samples which lead to long turnaround times for test results.
What the partnership does
The aim of the partnership is to help strengthen fragile health systems in sub-Saharan Africa by improving access to diagnostics and linkage to treatment.
Point-of-Care (POC) diagnostics can help address gaps by performing tests at the same location where the care is provided, allowing for timely diagnosis and treatment initiation. This is particularly valuable in settings with limited laboratory infrastructure, such as sub-Saharan Africa.
POC testing platforms can rapidly improve access and accelerate diagnosis and treatment for infectious diseases such as COVID-19, early infant HIV, tuberculosis, and non-communicable diseases.
During the five-year partnership period, Siemens Healthineers and UNICEF aim to explore additional opportunities for collaboration – leveraging each organization’s strengths – including technical expertise and business networks, to better respond to the needs of children and their families.
“No child should ever die from preventable diseases because they lacked access to treatment and services,” said Dr. Aboubacar Kampo, UNICEF Director of Health Programmes. “For that reason, we are working with countries to deliver primary healthcare to every community. This partnership with Siemens Healthineers gets us one step closer to the last mile by harnessing the power of innovative and inclusive technologies, making health care more accessible to vulnerable children and their families.”
“Around 3 billion people lack access to basic medical care. It’s both a privilege and an obligation for us, as one of the drivers of innovation in medical technology, to make healthcare accessible for everyone, everywhere,” said Dr. Bernd Montag, CEO Siemens Healthineers. “We are aware that good healthcare is always the result of a team effort, therefore we are excited to support UNICEF’s comprehensive approach of providing important diagnostic services to children and families in sub-Saharan Africa in a sustainable way, tailored to local needs.”
Last updated 29 March 2022
