During trade missions we do research in collaboration with, for example, large hospitals to find out how they can optimize their screening for early detection of diseases. Of course, we do not do this on our own. Other interesting Dutch parties that provide healthcare solutions are also involved in these missions. We collaborate together and utilize our strengths to offer a suitable package to, for example, Indonesia. Additionally, it is also important to get a feel for the market. Healthcare is organized differently per country, as is the financing. This is why a party such as FMO, the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank, joins forces to provide long-term loans.
Trade mission
The trade mission was led by Sigrid Kaag, the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation and Cora van Nieuwenhuizen, the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management. Bruno Bruins, the Minister for Medical Care and Sport was replaced by the Minister of State Sybilla Dekker. The trade mission was formed on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between VWS (Volksgezondheid, Welzijn en Sport – Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport) and the Ministry of Health of Indonesia. The mission was partly run in parallel to the state visit of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima to Indonesia. The King and Queen participated in certain parts of the program.
The mission took place in Jakarta and Surabaya. In Surabaya, healthcare is the number one priority. This is mainly due to the very progressive mayor of Indonesia's second largest city. The hospital we visited in Surabaya is very progressive in the treatment of tuberculosis. Any costs are reimbursed, even necessary modifications at home and standard dietary supplements are covered. However, it is noticeable that they are still lacking in the field of screening, there is still a lot of ground to gain here.
Dutch screening programs across the border
In addition to the talks with a large hospital in Indonesia as part of this trade mission, we are also in talks with other countries. We have a proposal in place for a pilot breast cancer screening at a large hospital in Brazil and an initial offer for a colon cancer screening in Kiev in the Ukraine with initial reactions being positive.
A business trip to Colombia is planned at the end of May to follow up on a trade visit at the end of last year. We will further explore the possibilities in the field of cervical cancer screening.
Partnerships
We are exploring an international partnership with Erasmus MC, in which they will bring their expertise to the table in the field of monitoring and evaluation of population studies in countries where we operate. Their very extensive knowledge and experience of controlling infectious diseases could generate valuable synergy.
In addition, a consortium of Dutch parties (including Topicus) has been formed to fight against antimicrobial resistance. AMR Global is established for this purpose.
Impact with IT
We strive to implement a screening platform which contributes to a high level of healthcare. This is because we want all people, anywhere in the world, to have the best quality of life for as long as possible. A platform not only for non-infectious diseases such as breast cancer, colon cancer, cervical cancer and lung cancer, but also for early detection of infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis. Screening for infectious diseases is extremely topical right now due to the corona virus pandemic.
Would you like to know more about our efforts to improve preventive healthcare? Please contact us.