GE Healthcare to Support Emerging Market Health

GE Healthcare (GE; Little Chalfont, United Kingdom) has announced the creation of a new business unit that will develop solutions to improve emerging market health outcomes.

The new Sustainable Healthcare Solutions (SHS) business will focus on the expansion of the company’s affordable healthcare portfolio, including the development of high value, low-cost technologies and business innovation models across multiple care settings in 70 markets, including India & South Asia, Africa, and Southeast Asia, with a focus on increasing access for 5.8 billion people around the world without basic health. GE Healthcare will invest USD 300 million in SHS, as part of a multiphase effort to develop a more robust affordable healthcare portfolio for customers.

In a press release, GE Healthcare stated that with the vision to improve access to quality and affordable health around the world, SHS will work with governments, clinicians, private operators and non-government organizations (NGOs), reinforcing the company’s ongoing commitment to supporting the global healthcare ecosystem in attaining the new 2030 Sustainable Development Goals that are scheduled for ratification at the UN General Assembly, to be held during September 2015 in New York (NY, USA).

“SHS will leverage GE’s Fastworks methodology to accelerate, test and rapidly commercialize relevant, affordable technologies. By taking this ‘start-up’ model approach we can rapidly test new ideas, products and services to maximize effectiveness for customers before we scale up,” said Terri Bresenham, President and CEO of GE Healthcare’s SHS unit. “From basic primary care delivery through to more complex, structural healthcare challenges, SHS will aim to combine GE Healthcare’s capabilities and scale with the local know-how and expertise of our partners across Africa, Southeast Asia, India, and South Asia.”

“Much of the world’s population is without adequate healthcare, and innovations that can create better patient outcomes in a sustainable way are urgently needed,” said John Flannery, President and CEO of GE Healthcare. “Many emerging economies are looking for experienced partners to help build skills, capacity and effective healthcare solutions for their patients.”

The low-cost healthcare equipment sector alone is now estimated to be worth over USD 8 billion, and is growing significantly as developing countries continue to invest in effective, long-term healthcare solutions to improve the health of their populations.

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