june 11, 2012, Sunstar

SIEMENS Inc. (Philippines) said it is willing to participate in the country’s Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) projects, particularly in the improvement of the country’s healthcare sector.

“We have been extending our services in the community level, however, if there’s more we can contribute to the enhancement of the healthcare industry here, the company is very much willing to be involved,” said Siemens Healthcare senior vice-president country sector lead Juan Miguel Tan in his recent visit to Cebu.

Tan said the company has been an active partner of the Department of Health (DOH) for small-scale projects that include healthcare information dissemination and equipment delivery.

He said the collaboration of the government and private industries is crucial in the overall economic development of the country, especially that the Aquino government is keen on achieving an inclusive growth.

“Siemens’ presence here in the Philippines signifies our commitment and continued optimism in the country,” he said.

Tan said most of their business partners are already into PPP. He said that although the company has no specific plans yet, they are open for talks with concerned agencies.

According to Tan, the lack of modern diagnostics facilities and infrastructure are some of the factors that impede the country in advancing in the global healthcare arena. That, despite the Philippines edge in terms of quality and quantity of medical professionals and tourism sites for patients’ recuperation.

Improvement

“But there is an improvement given the serious projects the government is implementing and commitment of some hospitals, mostly private, in terms of procuring latest technologies to render better healthcare services. We may not be as developed as other countries in Asia but we are moving,” Tan said.

Tan also stressed the company’s efforts in making the latest diagnostics technology reachable to provinces.

“We have been operating in the manner that our services do not only benefit a few. We are even developing projects that are fitting to the needs of the communities in the provinces,” he said.

The Siemens Healthcare Sector is one of the world’s largest suppliers to the healthcare industry and a trendsetter in medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, medical information technology and hearing aids.

Emerging countries such as the Philippines are one of the focused areas of the company.

Meanwhile, PPP projects in the health sector, set for National Economic and Development Authority evaluation and approval are the Vaccine Self-Sufficiency Project and the modernization of the Philippine Orthopedic Hospital.

Also undergoing feasibility studies are 38 more PPPs that aim to enhance the facilities and service capabilities of 38 DOH Medical Centers across the country.