Heart disease, cancer, respiratory illnesses and fertility issues are the focus

Royal Philips NV will offer more healthcare solutions in China this year as the country copes with a surge in chronic diseases brought on by an aging population, its executives say.

The Dutch company will mainly focus on heart disease, cancer, respiratory illnesses and fertility issues.

Philips will also introduce new medical products and devices as it looks to compete with established rivals.

Andy Ho, chief executive of Philips China, says China's hospital service system is under pressure from a growing number of senior citizens, patients with chronic diseases and shortages of healthcare resources.

"Many Chinese are keen to manage their families' health on their own with the assistance of doctors, healthcare devices and services," he says. "This trend has pushed the healthcare industry to shift focus from hospital care to low-cost family care."

As a part of its strategic transformation, Philips also introduced the big data HealthSuite Digital Platform this month to establish a new clinical ecosystem in China.

"Its aim is to gradually provide complete medical information system solutions through data analysis, application and integration that can effectively provide predictable solutions for patients and hospitals, as well as cut patients' travel costs and make their symptoms more comparable," says Chen Shengyu, general manager of Philips' healthcare information services in China.

"Big data can be used to improve management efficiency and innovate business models, giving a new impetus for the healthcare industry, which would be fairly useful to battle various chronic diseases as China's large demographic of elderly people grow older."

Chronic diseases, which typically last more than three months, cause 85 percent of deaths in China, according to the National Health and Family Planning Commission. The costs of treating these diseases accounted for more than 70 percent of total healthcare expenditures last year.

Common chronic diseases include cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, arthritis, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

About 10 million people in China have been diagnosed with chronic diseases every year since 2002. Prevention and the control of such diseases are one of China's major healthcare reform tasks leading up to 2020.

zhongnan@chinadaily.com.cn