Philips provides life-saving ultrasound technology for women in rural areas

Royal Philips, a Netherlands based health company focused on improving people's lives through meaningful innovation last week showcased how cost-effective ultrasound technology can reduce maternal mortality in rural areas in Uganda. This was during the unveiling of the ClearVue Ultrasound technology, a diagnostic tool for early detection of breast cancer allowing for timely treatment.

The ClearVue machines are going to be used for scanning pregnant women. During scanning, the acquired images are transmitted digitally via a cell phone modem to a remote internet server where they can then be accessed by a credentialed reviewer, either in-country or abroad, for interpretation. An abbreviated report of the findings is sent via SMS to the nurse midwife with the full report sent by email enabling mid-level healthcare workers to provide high quality care.

This model, incorporating low-power ultrasound machines, has been successfully developed and tested in rural Uganda with implementation at 11 different healthcare facilities. 

Philips Trainer in Ultrasound Victoria Koi shows how ClearVue works at Mulago Hospital on June 28

A study by Imaging the World (ITW) shows that through early detection of complications, women at-risk can be referred to appropriate care centers in time. According to the Philips Fabric of Africa trends report, women in Africa are at significant risk of premature death, with particular high mortality rates recorded in pregnancy. In Uganda, complications during pregnancy and childbirth contribute to 358,000 maternal deaths annually.

“People in rural areas often die due to preventable complications as they have no advance warning of critical conditions. Many of these deaths can be diagnosed with basic imaging technology,” JJ van Dongen, the Senior Vice President and CEO of Philips Africa said.

In addition to introducing new technology, Philips provided two days of clinical trainings for 125 local healthcare professionals at Mulago Hospital.

Breast-screening project

Beside maternal screening ITW is also using Philips technology to detect breast cancer.

ITW has developed an innovative way to detect breast cancer using Philips ultrasound technology, instead of the more traditional x-ray mammography. This technique enables Ugandan healthcare workers to diagnose breast cancer in women who live in rural, resource-limited settings and have no access to mammography.

“This life-saving and innovative approach to breast cancer detection in resource limited-areas might serve as a blue-print for the future of diagnosis breast cancer in Africa,” Dongen said.

To further drive this agenda, Philips has also launched the collaborative ‘Fabric of Africa’ campaign to drive public-private partnerships and to improve healthcare access across the continent.

With clinical education and training programs for African healthcare professionals and through large scale healthcare revitalization projects, Philips helps to improve standards of care in Africa and contribute towards the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality respectively.