Philips and RAD-AID demonstrate commitment to women's healthcare at 2012 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting

NEW YORK, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) announced today that the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) is featuring Asha Jyoti, a collaborative women's healthcare outreach program established by RAD-AID International, Philips Healthcare, and Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) of Chandigarh, in the "Champions of Action" plenary session at the CGI 2012 Annual Meeting in New York. Asha Jyoti, meaning "Ray of Hope" in Hindi and Punjabi, is an innovative, mobile women's healthcare outreach program for comprehensive women's healthcare needs including cervical cancer, osteoporosis and breast cancer screenings and follow-up care.

The program was established as a model for preventive healthcare for semi-urban and rural areas in India by equipping a special mobile outreach van with imaging technology and clinical referral services for efficiently and effectively addressing multiple care needs. In addition to being a model for integrating women's health services, the collaboration is a unique public-private partnership between the private sector (Philips Healthcare), non-profit non-governmental organization (RAD-AID), and government (PGIMER) entities to innovate healthcare solutions.

Beginning in 2010, Philips and RAD-AID teamed up with Project HOPE to help improve access to radiology services in emerging markets and developing countries. RAD-AID's comprehensive radiology assessment tool (Radiology-Readiness™) analyzed the need for medical imaging technologies in India, China, Africa and Haiti. Through this Commitment to Action, the team identified women's health services, particularly for the poor in semi-urban and rural areas, as a key unmet need in India.

To address this unmet need, Philips Healthcare, RAD-AID and PGIMER developed a five-year mobile women's health imaging clinic, the Asha Jyoti program, to provide screening and follow-up care for breast cancer, cervical cancer and osteoporosis to thousands of underserved women in Northern India every year. In addition, RAD-AID is providing educational and program planning support to health workers and staff via on-site and on-line approaches optimizing healthcare quality and safety. RAD-AID will launch an online portal in collaboration with the Philips Learning Center to provide online radiology learning activities.

"Asha Jyoti serves as an economical and sustainable outreach model to provide timely and affordable access to care for women across Punjab and India," said Dr. N. Khandelwal, professor and head, Department of Radiodiagnosis, PGIMER.

PGIMER delivers the clinical services for Asha Jyoti, staffing the initiative with radiology technicians and social workers, reading the mammography and colposcopy images, providing follow-up diagnosis and care, and documenting the program's public health impact.

"Most of the world's population has inadequate access to medical imaging services, such as X-ray, radiography, ultrasound, and mammography," said Daniel Mollura, M.D., founder, president and chief executive officer, RAD-AID. "Lack of proper diagnostics and care contributes to the prevalence of many diseases, including cancers and heart disease. By bringing mobile screening technology to communities that would otherwise not have access to this care, we are steadily helping to advance global health and wellness."

Philips and RAD-AID are members of CGI. The collaboration represents each partner's commitment to develop and distribute radiology healthcare solutions where they're needed most. This commitment builds on a legacy of contributions to radiology established in 2000 by President Clinton, when he founded the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) as a new part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).  

"At Philips, we consider our innovations in healthcare our commitment to improving and saving lives," said Eric Silfen, M.D., senior vice president and chief medical officer, Philips Healthcare. "We hope that our collaboration with RAD-AID can continue to grow, so that our solutions reach more underserved communities of the world and continue to support the future of healthcare."

To outfit the mobile Asha Jyoti clinic, Philips contributed its MicroDose Mammography, a high resolution, low-dose digital mammography system for breast cancer screening, which is well suited for a mobile environment, its colposcopy system for cervical cancer screening, and funding for the bone density scanning system for osteoporosis screening. Philips also donated the entire van and designed and built the vehicle in India with local suppliers.

Diego Olego, chief strategy and innovation officer, Philips Healthcare, will join Daniel Mollura for the commitment of the Asha Jyoti program from 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (ET) on Monday during the "Champions of Action" session at the CGI Annual Meeting, hosted at the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, New York City. Plenary, breakout, and special sessions, as well as press conferences will be webcast at live.clintonglobalinitiative.org.

About Royal Philips Electronics
Royal Philips Electronics (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHI) is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people's lives through meaningful innovation in the areas of Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips posted 2011 sales of EUR 22.6 billion and employs approximately 122,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. The company is a leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as male shaving and grooming, portable entertainment and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

About RAD-AID
RAD-AID International is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to improving and expanding radiology services in underserved areas globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that most of the world's population has inadequate access to medical imaging (radiology), such as x-ray, ultrasound and mammography. This disparity has contributed to inadequate healthcare among poor populations, such as for women's health (breast cancer screening and maternal infant health), HIV-related disease, tuberculosis, cancer, heart disease, and trauma, because these conditions often require radiology for diagnosis and care. To address this worldwide problem, RAD-AID uses a multidisciplinary approach involving economic development, healthcare system evaluation, technology innovation, clinical education, and technical training to improve global radiology for delivering vital health services.

About the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research
PGIMER in Chandigarh, India, was established as an institute of national importance by an Act of Parliament. Its mandate is to provide high quality patient care, meet the country's need for highly qualified medical teachers in all medical and surgical disciplines, provide educational facilities for the training of personnel in all important branches of health activity, and undertake basic community-based research. The mission of PGIMER is embodied by its logo, which states "Service to the Community, Care of the Needy and Research for the Good of all".  For more information, visit www.pgimer.nic.in.

About the Clinton Global Initiative
Established in 2005 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) convenes global leaders to create and implement innovative solutions to the world's most pressing challenges. CGI Annual Meetings have brought together more than 150 heads of state, 20 Nobel Prize laureates, and hundreds of leading CEOs, heads of foundations and NGOs, major philanthropists, and members of the media. To date CGI members have made more than 2,100 commitments, which are already improving the lives of nearly 400 million people in more than 180 countries. When fully funded and implemented, these commitments will be valued at $69.2 billion.

CGI also convenes CGI America, a meeting focused on collaborative solutions to economic recovery in the United States, and CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.

SOURCE Royal Philips Electronics