What Samsung’s Two Major Healthcare Initiatives are about

There are many regions in the world lacking in medical technologies and the necessary workforce, which is associated with high rates of infant and maternal mortality. Aiming to reduce these rates by providing broader access to healthcare services, Samsung has launched various healthcare initiatives in multiple regions of the world, including China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The initiatives consist of two different types: offering healthcare services to underprivileged areas (‘Mobile Health Center’) and providing medical training related to prenatal ultrasound (‘Sono School’).

 ▲Under-five mortality rate (probability of dying by age 5 per 1000 live births), (Source: WHO)

Sono School

Samsung launched Sono School, which delivers medical training focused on ultrasound diagnosis and obstetrics and gynecology. Through prenatal ultrasound diagnosis and gynecological treatment, pregnant women can monitor the health conditions of both the fetus and themselves, which helps maintain mother’s health and leads to healthier babies.

How does Sono School work? Samsung establishes the training center in selected hospitals and provides both medical equipment, such as ultrasound systems, and educational devices, including electronic boards and LFDs (large format displays). Operating expenses and tuition fees are also funded by Samsung and facility renovation can be included depending on the needs. In close cooperation with local medical associations, the medical association is to operate the courses and present a certification to Sono School graduates. Curriculums are jointly developed by Samsung and the medical association.

• China

In China, Sono School is being actively and successfully operated. Named ‘Smart Sono School,’ it was first launched in 2013 in Guizhou and Shanxi Province and has produced 1300 (by July 2014) graduates.

To launch the Sono School, Samsung China considered the social needs first. The country’s western provinces had low life expectancy and high infant and maternal mortality. The western regions were given the highest priority, according to governmental policies. Therefore, Samsung decided to focus on the western provinces and Guizhou (a southwestern province) and Shanxi (in the mid-west) were selected. Accordingly, Guiyang University Hospital and Shanshi University Hospital were chosen respectively from the selected areas.

The hospitals have set up a cooperative system with government and NGOs as well. The local MOH (Ministry of Health) granted permission and supported the program by gathering trainees. And China Medical Foundation, a non-profit association consisting of medical professionals and entrepreneurs, was to operate the program.

In terms of organizing participants, they applied specific principles. First, trainers were selected out of most skilled doctors from top-level national hospitals. Second, trainees were selected mostly from second-level hospitals where medical training was in demand and who played an important role in ultrasound technologies. Plus, trainees consisted of doctors (no nurses or technicians) since handling ultrasounds is allowed only by doctors in China.

Samsung Electronics’ Health & Medical Equipment Division offered ultrasound systems, educational equipment (electronic boards, LFD panels, video processors, PCs, and printers) and training content that covered gynecology and fetal ultrasound. Doctors from partnership hospitals helped formulate the curriculum and organized the lectures.

The lectures consisted of theoretical courses on ultrasonic (up to 200 students) and hands-on practice in obstetrics and gynecology (up to 30 students/ 5 teams of 6 persons). Some training sessions were planned to be led by key opinion leaders in the major cities like Beijing and Shanghai to maximize the influence.

After the preparation was complete, the opening ceremony was held in Guiyang University Hospital on November 14 and in Shanshi University Hospital on December 26th. Theoretical courses were given once a month for two days, mainly for those at beginner levels; hands-on practice was provided once a month for three days, for advanced level trainees.

A total of 1500 doctors completed the course in four cities, including Guangxu (60 people) and Xi’an (120 people) as of July 2014.  Most trainees showed great satisfaction, mentioning the training was very useful for their actual work. Extending the course period (2 or 3 days) is currently under consideration. Moreover, Guiyang University Hospital is currently trying to make Sono School certificate be accredited as part of Continuing Medical Education (CME) for prenatal diagnosis.

Smart Sono School is expected to be expanded in 11 provinces by the end of this year. 17 Sono Schools will be launched in China and about 17,000 graduates will be produced.

• The Philippines

To deal with the high rates of maternal and infant mortality, Samsung Electronics launched Sono School in the Philippines. For the first Samsung Sono School in the Philippines, Samsung established a partnership with Philippine General Hospital (PGH) and PGH Medical Foundation.

Philippine General Hospital (PGH) is the largest hospital in the country (in terms of bed capacity: 500 beds for private patients/ 1,000 beds allocated for indigent patients). As a government-owned hospital, it is operated by the University of the Philippines, Manila. It accommodates around 600,000 patients a year. PGH Medical Foundation (PGHMFI), a philanthropic organization supporting underprivileged Filipinos through the services and projects of the PGH, raises funds for PGH especially for infrastructure development and charity works.

The PGH is also the training hospital of the College of Medicine of the University of the Philippines, the country’s most prestigious public university. Every year, thousands of medical students and practicing doctors undergo training at the PGH and provide service to its patients.

To establish the Sono School, Samsung’s Health and Medical Equipment Division provided ultrasound systems, LFD’s, printers and PC’s for the training sessions. The training curriculum was subsequently   developed in collaboration with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the PGH. 

▲Soo-In Cho, President of Samsung Health and Medical Equipment Division (left) was given an appreciation plaque from Dr. Blanca De Guia Fuerte, chairperson of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, PGH.

With a three-year timeframe, the medical training, which began in July 2014, will end in July 2017. Trainers consist of faculty from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of PGH; trainees are obstetricians-gynecologists, family medicine doctors, or municipal health officers who serve in rural areas.

On June 24, the opening ceremony was held to celebrate its start. The courses are composed of two parts: theoretical lectures and practical courses with demonstration. The main coverage of the training curriculum involves how to operate ultrasound equipment, basics of gynecologic ultrasound, common gynecologic abnormalities, and ultrasound in the first, second, and third trimester.

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▲Sono School in Indonesia and Vietnam

In 2013, six Sono Schools were launched in China, Kazakhstan, and Israel. Planning for a great expansion, 26 Sono Schools are expected to run across China, Commonwealth of Independent States, the Middle East, and Southeast regions this year.

Mobile Health Center

One more thing Samsung is doing to improve the accessibility to quality health cares running a mobile healthcare initiative called ‘Mobile Healthcare Center’. There are many regions in the world where medical facilities are just simply too difficult to be established because of geographical reasons and Samsung’s Mobile Healthcare Center targets these areas to provide quality healthcare.

From Ophthalmology, Dental Hygiene to blood test and general trauma care, with the highly qualified medical personnel and advanced equipment, the Mobile Health Center can support various types of patients in need of medical treatment. The Mobile Health Center is also powered by solar panels, and can maintain its power supply wherever it goes.

In 2013, Samsung established two Mobile Health Center in Mpumalanga and Gauteng province of South Africa upon its government’s request. It treated approximately 2,000 patients. Samsung plans to add 2 more by the end of 2014.

Samsung is also collaborating with Children’s Health Fund to implement the Mobile Health Center in New York (2) and San Francisco (1) to treat underprivileged kids and adults.

According to the Samsung’s Sustainability report 2014, it is estimated that people age 60 or over will account for 22 percent of the world population in 2050; that is 2,000,000,000 (two billion) people. Therefore, people are becoming more health conscious by the second. However, as many regions in the world lacks access to quality health care, the issue of health and medical aid has emerged as one of the most important social issues. Samsung is making a great effort in carrying out various social/health contribution programs, and will continue to share the responsibility for diverse difficulties the global community is facing.