THE passion for innovation, specifically on health care, is a major factor that binds the time-tested collaboration between the Philippines and Switzerland.
“The 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Switzerland and the Philippines has been centered on innovative ties focused on pharmaceutical and health,” Switzerland’s Ambassador to the Philippines Andrea Reichlin said in a recent briefing.
Another highlight of the six-decade strong Philippine-Switzerland ties is a health-technology competition seeking to expand homegrown solutions enabling Filipinos’ access to universal health care (UHC). The event was organized by the Embassy of Switzerland in the Philippines, in partnership with Asian Institute of Management and TechTalks.ph.
“Switzerland has long acknowledged the central importance of technology, [as well as] research and development to keep its health-care system one of the best among the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member-countries. This…competition is our own little way in contributing to the ongoing innovations of [local] universal health care, as we celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic relationships between Switzerland and the Philippines. E-health solutions are very important if we are to improve efficiencies and keep up with the times,” Reichlin said.
HealthTech Challenge PH was graced by Philippine Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo who praised the one-day event for following Switzerland’s example in giving opportunities to tech start-ups and solutions to address the country’s silent crisis of public health.
“Without exception, companies, individuals and governments have scrambled to adapt to these ever-changing times. And with the power of technology, health-focused tech start-ups and solutions represent an important opportunity to widen access to basic services in ways that have never been done before,” Robredo said.
According to the World Health Organization, UHC means all people and communities can use promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services they need, and are of sufficient quality to be effective, while also ensuring that the use of these services does not expose the user to financial hardship.
The Decision Labs, having embedded analytics to enhance patient experience in hospitals through its flagship product Customers Experience Management Platforms for Insights and Actions, clinched the HealthTech Challenge top prize.
BloodHero, an online community platform for blood donors committed to life and Wireless Access for Health, which helps over 100 local government partners manage and improve local health care through its digital health platform, won the second and third prizes, respectively.
HealthTech Challenge PH showcased tech-based products like web sites, mobile apps, hardware and software solutions and represented stages of the health-care process—from awareness, diagnosis, treatment, tracking and monitoring.
Other finalists that made it to the final run included Open continuing professional development (CPD) Network, JazzyPay, Novostorm, Medix.PH and Getz Clinical.
The Open CPD Network aims to create a new partnership arrangement offering accredited CPD courses through online portals at no cost to the participants. JazzyPay is a web- and mobile-secured payment platform designed for customers to pay educational and medical institutions directly using multicurrency consolidated payment solutions.
Meanwhile, Novostorm provides patient flow-management solutions to hospitals, while Medix.PH is an electronic medical-record platform for hospitals and clinics. Getz Clinical offers clinical software that improves accuracy, security and accessibility of patient data.