Open Innovation to Tackle Health Problems in Thailand
To mark its 60th anniversary in Thailand, Royal Philips Electronics is embarking on a crowdsourcing initiative to develop innovative ideas to modern health problems that the country faces.
The company has created the ‘+’ Project to receive proposals on how best to improve the health and quality of life of Thai people.
Submissions can be in any form, including videos, and will be voted on by the public. Weekly winners will be selected for a period of eight weeks.
The best ideas will be turned into real-life projects, led and funded by Philips, and where possible run in co-operation with other organisations and stakeholders.
“Since its establishment in Thailand, Philips has strived to bring meaningful innovation to help improve people’s health and well-being in this country. As Thailand grows, challenges like rapid urbanisation, changing lifestyles and the provision of accessible and affordable health-care are inevitable,” said Viroj Vithayaveroj, general manager of Philips Healthcare, Thailand.
“The launch of the ‘+’ Project underscores our commitment to improve the health and well-being of Thais by engaging people from all walks of life to make cities more livable, empower people to live healthy lives and help make healthcare more accessible and affordable to Thais.”
Health Needs
The project’s initiation follows hot on the heels of a health survey conducted by Philips that analysed the responses from over 31,000 people across 23 countries, including Thailand.
The survey revealed that in Thailand the perceived biggest threats to health over the next five years are cancer, diabetes, high cholesterol, joint pain/arthritis and memory loss. In addition, the survey found that less than half the population attend regular annual medical check-ups.
The ‘+’ Project hopes to empower Thai people to live healthy lives, and idea submissions will be assessed under the themes of Livable Cities, Access to Healthcare and Healthy Living.
Reader Comments
Hello there,
I was just in Thailand two weeks ago. I'm glad for the Thai people. Now why can't Philips help out Stateside. Not to blame the president for problems he inherited, but US health care needs major innovations too.
Posted by Harriet32 on February 12, 2012
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